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Annex 

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A   TRIP 


CITY  OF  MEXICO, 


JOSE    AIAEGATI 


"J(W7i  tempiis  agit  res." 


Published  by 
PUTNAM,    MESSERYY    &    CO. 

Bankers, 

60  State  Street,  Boston". 

1885. 


Copyright,  1885,  by  Putnam,  Messervy  &  Co. 
(Rights  of  Translation  Reserved.) 


Frank  Wood,  Printer,  Boston. 


stack 
Annex 

F 

IS  15 
PREFACE. 


It  has  often  been  suggested  to  me  to  give  in  print 
some  account  of  the  Mexican  Central  Excursion. 
Feeling  that  this  was  a  grand  opportunity  for  a  skilful 
pen  upon  an  interesting  subject,  and  that  the  requisite 
talent  for  the  purpose  was  not  lacking  in  our  party,  I 
was  reluctant  to  undertake  the  work,  until  suflScient 
time  had  elapsed  to  satisfy  me,  at  least,  that  unless  I 
took  it  upon  myself  it  might  remain  unwritten,  and  for- 
ever lost,  except  to  the  memory  of  a  few  of  those  who, 
like  myself,  participated  in  it. 

This  story,  which  must  of  necessity  be  in  the  form 
of  a  diary  of  events,  is  made  up  largely  from  private 
memoranda  which  were  made  day  after  day,  with  the 
sole  object  of  refreshing  the  memory,  when  relating  an 
account  of  the  journey  upon  my  return  home.  In 
rewi'iting  my  diary,  however,  I  have  made  use  of  all 
the  material  I  could  gather,  and  from  whatever  source, 
*  which  could  be  woven  into  my  story,  to  make  it  as 
complete  a  record  of  that  delightful  excursion  as  pos- 


4:  PREFACE. 

sible.  Some  of  the  speeches  herein  quoted  were  trans- 
lated from  Mexican  papers,  and  I  believe  them  to  be 
authentic  reports  of  what  was  really  said  at  the  time. 
For  much  of  the  interesting  matter  and  valuable  infor- 
mation which  is  here  given,  I  am  indebted  to  individual 
members  of  the  part}^ 

If  I  have  succeeded  in  weaving  together  the  daily 
events  of  that  journey  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it 
interesting,  as  well  as  authentic,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  afforded  my  travelling  companions  any  pleasure, 
I  shall  feel  fully  repaid  for  the  labor  of  preparing  this 
little  memento. 


A  COMPLETE  List  of  the  Party. 


D.  Alden      . 

Chas.  C.  Blodgett  . 

E.  W.  CON^^ERSE 

Thomas  Dana     . 
Jacob  Edwards 
W.  P.  Ellison    . 
Thos.  G.  Frothingham 
Frederic  R.  Guernsey 
A.  B.  Lawrie     . 
Frank  jSIorison  . 
A.  S.  March 
Thos.  Nickerson 
Mrs.  Thos.  Nickerson 
R.  M.  Pulsifer  . 
L.  G.  Pratt 
Chas.  W.  Pierce 
A.  A.  Pope    . 

Alex.  H.  Rice     . 

AVm.  Rotch  . 

Arthur  Rotch    . 

Alden  Speare    . 

Arthur  Sew  all 

S.  S.  Sleeper      . 

Geo.  B.  Wilbur 

A.  D.  Weld 

Jos6  Margati     . 

Frank  Jones 

Levi  Z.  Leiter  . 

Clarence  P.  Dresser 

Chas.  S.  Smith    . 


Augusta,  Me. 
Boston,  Mass. 


Salem t  Mass. 

Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

Chicago,  III. 
((         (< 

Neiv  York,  N.  Y. 


ALL  RAIL  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 


Mexico  is  now  brought  under  the  influence  of  the 


progressive  nineteenth-century  spirit  ot  Her  sjster 
republic,  through  the  construction  of  railways  connect- 
ing the  principal  cities  of  the  two  countries.  Places 
that  a  few  years  ago  were  practically  as  remote  as  the 
two  hemispheres,  are  now  only  a  few  hours  apart  by 
rail  transportation. 

A  party  consisting  of  about  twenty-five  well-known 
gentlemen,  capitalists,  —  some  of  wbnm  fwe^  rljr^/^t'^rs  r^f 
the  newly  completed  Mexican  Central  Railroarl,  and 
most  of  them  largely  interested  in  it<  —  left  Boston  on 
the  evening  of  the  28th  of  April,  1884,  for  an  excur- 
sion  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  where  a  banquet,  in  honor 
of  the  completion  of  the  railroad,  had  been  tendered  to 
the  party  by  members  of  the  citv  government. 

'ine  tourists  occupied  two  new  Pullman  sleeping- 
cars  —  the  Aguaa  Calientes  and  the  Aragon  —  said  to 
have  been  built  specially  for  the  use  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad.  They  were  alike  in  every  respect, 
very  handsome,  and  well  provided  with  everything 
necessary  to  insure  the  comfort  of  their  occupants 
during  a  long  journey. 


8  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

The  journey  was  made  without  the  slightest  incon- 
venience to  any  of  the  party,  and  without  the  occur- 
rence of  a  single  disagreeable  incident  —  thanks  to  the 
very  efficient  management  of  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  who 
piloted  the  party  through. 

The  route  chosen  for  the  excursion  was  via  Fitch- 
burg  Railroad  through  the  tunnel ;  New  York,  West 
Shore,  and  Buffalo ;  Great  Western  Division  Grand 
Trunk ;  Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy  ;  Hannibal 
and  St.  Jo.  ;  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  ;  and 
Mexican  Central  Railroad. 

Notwithstanding  the  oft-circulated  reports  of  annoy- 
ances of  a  belligerent  nature,  to  which  all  travellers  to 
Mexico  may  be  subjected,  few,  if  any,  of  the  excursion- 
ists had  provided  themselves  with  arms  for  defence ; 
and  throughout  the  journey  no  arms  were  necessary 
for  that  purpose.  Whether  the  party  had  received 
timely  warning  from  reading  the  Denver  Bepublican, 
or  no,  they,  one  and  all,  had  provided  themselves  in- 
stead with  a  determination  not  to  grumble  under  any 
circumstances  ;  for  it  is  a  well-kuown  fact  that  one 
grumbler  or  fault-finder  can,  and  often  does,  destroy 
the  pleasure  of  a  whole  party,  while  one  jolly,  good- 
natured,  and  always  pleasant  man  binds  all  the  party 
to  him  with  bonds  of  friendship  that  are  not  soon 
broken  or  forgotten. 

There  was  no  dining-car  attached  to  the  train, 
excepting  at  rare  intervals  along  the  route ;  but  the 
Buffet  cars,  which  we  occupied,  were  both  well  provided 
with  everything  needful  to  furnish  their  occupants  with 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  9 

a  light  repast  whenever,  on  the  journey,  it  was  not  jdos- 
sible  to  find  a  convenient  station  to  stop  at  for  a  good 
square  meal. 

On  Tuesda}^  the  29th  of  April,  the  party  took  break- 
fast at  the  station  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  ;  after  which  they 
were  entertained  by  the  Hon.  ex-Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, a  very  estimable  member  of  the  party,  with  a 
vivid  and  interesting  account  of  the  battle  of  "  Bull- 
run,"  which  he  had  the  rare  opportunity  to  witness, 
and  with  other  entertaining  anecdotes.  The  view  from 
the  car  windows  offered  nothing  of  any  particular  inter- 
est here,  after  viewing  the  extensive  salt-works  at  Syr- 
acuse, excepting  the  four  distinct  tracks  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad,  which  run  about  parallel  with 
theNew  York,  West  Shore,  and  Buffalo,  its  competitor, 
and  which  was  visible  for  a  long  distance  of  the  way. 

Suspension  bridge  was  reached  at  about  4  p.  m.  At 
this  point  a  dining-car  was  attached  to  the  train,  which 
furnished  a  substantial  dinner  to  all  who  desired  it, 
avoiding  the  necessity  of  stopping  extra  time  at  the 
station  for  this  purpose,  which  they  were  anxious  not 
to  do,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  train  was  already 
some  hours  behind  time. 

At  11.15  p.  M.  the  larger  part  of  the  party  had 
quietly  retired  to  their  respective  compartments  to  rest, 
when  the  train  stopped,  and  without  any  jarring  or  the 
least  commotion,  the  cars  were  put  aboard  of  the  ferry, 
and  taken  across  to  Port  Huron.  A  practical  illustra- 
tion of  the  swiftness  of  time  when  in  pleasing  com- 
pany, was  this  night  experienced  by  three  of  the  gentle- 
men of  this  party  when  they  suddenly  became  aware 


10  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

that  it  was  already  past  midnight,  so  well  had  they 
been  entertained  with  a  graphic  description  of  Egypt, 
and  its  wonderful  pyramids,  by  one  of  their  number,  a 
prominent  dry-goods  merchant  from  New  York. 

Wednesday,  April  30th.  The  excursionists  were 
called  at  7.15  a.  m.,  shortly  after  passing  Lansing,  the 
capital  of  Michigan,  that  they  might  have  time  to  pre- 
pare for  breakfast,  which  awaited  the  arrival  of  the 
train  at  Battle  Creek.  This  place  was  reached  at 
8  o'clock,  at  least  six  hours  late.  After  breakfast, 
for  which  ample  time  was  allowed,  the  train  proceeded 
on  its  course  to  Chicago,  where  we  arrived  at  about 
2.30  r.  M.  We  were  so  much  behind  time  that  we 
could  only  remain  one  hour  at  this  place  instead  of 
four  hours,  as  originally  planned. 

Two  gentlemen,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Pierce,  of  Boston, 
who  is  largely  interested  in  railroads,  and  Mr.  Levi  Z. 
Leiter,  a  former  member  of  the  house  of  Field,  Leiter 
&  Co.,  of  Chicago,  a  director  in  the  Mexican  Central 
Railroad,  and  a  very  successful  merchant,  joined  the 
party  at  this  point.  It  was  designed  that  our  two  cars 
should  connect  here  with  the  regular  train  leaving  Chi- 
cago daily  at  12.15  p.  m.  for  Kansas  City;  but  as  we 
arrived  too  late  to  do  this,  an  arrangement  was  made 
for  a  special  train,  consisting  of  the  dining-car  Denver, 
and  a  baggage-car,  in  addition  to  the  Aragon  and 
Aguas  Calientes ;  and  at  3.50  p.  m.,  well  provided 
with  motive  power,  we  left  Chicago  for  Kansas  City  at 
a  rapid  rate,  making  only  such  stops  as  were  necessary 
to  allow  our  powerful  iron  steed  time  to  drink.     It  was 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  11 

frequently  reported  during  that  evening,  that  we  were 
going  at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles  an  hour  ;  and  as  several 
of  the  gentlemen  were  experienced  railroad-men,  there 
is  no  occasion  to  doubt  their  report.  The  fact  is,  to  the 
inexperienced  this  might  seem  a  moderate  estimate  of 
the  speed,  judging  by  the  rapidity  with  which  we 
passed  objects  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

After  leaving  Chicago  an  excellent  dinner,  consist- 
ing of  soup,  boiled  salmon,  roasts,  vegetables,  salad, 
game,  fruit,  pastry,  ices,  and  delicious  coffee  was  fur- 
nished in  the  dining-car  Denver.  This  was  indeed 
a  delightful  way  to  travel,  and  one  calculated  to  spoil 
us  for  any  ordinary  mode  of  travelling  ever  after :  in- 
deed, it  seemed  almost  incredible  ;  here  we  were  being 
sumptuously  fed,  in  luxurious  apartments,  and  all  the 
while  moving  rapidly,  without  the  least  inconvenience 
or  anxiety  to  ourselves. 

Thursday,  May  1st.  We  passed  during  the  night 
the  regular  train,  which  left  Chicago  nearly  four  hours 
in  advance  of  ours,  and  have  arrived  ahead  of  that 
train  a  half -hour  or  more.  The  dining-car  Denver 
again  was  called  into  requisition  this  morning,  and 
it  furnished  an  excellent  breakfast.  We  reached  Kan- 
sas City  at  8.30  a.  m.,  and,  although  it  was  raining 
quite  hard  at  the  time,  several  of  the  gentlemen  im- 
proved the  opportunity  by  taking  carriages  and  riding 
about  the  principal  parts  of  the  city  for  an  hour. 

Kansas  City,  though  in  Missouri,  is  the  trade-centre 
of  the  great  State  whose  name  it  bears.  It  is  the  prin- 
cipal eastern  terminus  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and 


12  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

Santa  Fe  Railroad,  the  largest  city  between  St.  Louis 
and  San  Francisco,  and  the  greatest  railroad  centre  in 
the  West ;  population  nearly  one  hundred  thousand.  It 
is  situated  on  a  bend  of  the  Missouri  River,  where  the 
stream  swings  round  from  a  southerly  course  toward 
the  Mississippi,  and  is  the  nearest  point  on  the  river  to 
the  great  Southwest,  of  which  it  is  the  principal  com- 
mercial metropolis.  This  led  to  its  becoming,  half  a 
century  ago,  the  most  prominent  post  in  the  Santa  Fe 
overland  trade.  Outfitting  for  the  Mexican  War,  in 
1846,  was  largely  done  in  Kansas  City,  and  this  point 
was  also  the  principal  outfitting  station  for  the  Califor- 
nia migration  in  1849.  In  1872,  the  national  depres- 
sion then  prevailing  was  felt,  and  there  was  little 
growth  till  1876,  when  business  began  to  revive  ;  and 
since  then  there  has  been  a  most  wonderful  develop- 
ment, the  population  increasing  from  35,000  to  what  it 
is  at  the  present  time — 100,000. 

Kansas  City  is  the  largest  depot  for  agricultural  im- 
plements in  the  world.  Here,  also,  manufactures 
flourish,  and  consist  of  such  branches  as  smelting 
works,  rolling-mills,  foundries,  piano  manufactories, 
glucose  works,  chemical  works,  stove  works,  carriage 
works,  shoe  manufactories,  breweries,  flouring  mills, 
paint  manufactories,  marble  and  granite  works,  brick 
manufactories,  type  foundries,  and  scores  of  other 
manufacturing  industries,  giving  employment  to  thou- 
sands of  men  and  millions  of  capital.  It  has  a  board 
of  trade,  which,  as  an  organization,  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  prosperity  of  the  city.  Business  is  mainly 
in  the  hands  of  young  men,  whose  enterprise  and  am- 


EXCUKSION  TO  MEXICO.  13 

bition  have  made  Kansas  City  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous and  flourishing  cities  on  the  continent ;  schools  are 
excellent ;  the  daily  press  compares  favorably  with  that 
of  any  other  city  of  the  same  size  in  the  Union  ;  nearly 
all  religious  denominations  are  here  represented,  and 
the  general  health  of  the  population  is  above  the  aver- 
age. 

The  railway  station  seems  to  be  a  centre,  whence 
trains  for  San  Francisco,  Mexico,  New  Orleans,  and 
other  distant  points  radiate  daily.  It  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  a  very  busy  place,  but  there  was  no  con- 
fusion, and  no  one  seemed  to  be  in  any  great  hurrj^, 
and  trains  moved  in  and  out  upon  a  perfect  labyrinth 
of  rails  without  the  least  disturbance.  Mr.  A.  A.  Rob- 
inson, the  able  manager  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  was  at  the  station,  attending  per- 
sonally to  the  wants  of  our  party. 

Mr.  Alden  Speare,  of  Boston,  a  gentleman  who  has 
for  a  long  time  been  connected  with  the  Atchison  road 
as  one  of  its  managing  directors,  joined  the  party  at 
Kansas  City.  He  occupied  a  room  in  Car  99  of  the 
Atchison  Railroad,  which  was  here  attached  to  the  rear 
of  the  train.  This  was  a  managing  director's  car,  and 
it  was  an  elegant  affair.  The  two  ends  were  designed 
for  observation,  with  long  windows  of  large-sized  plate- 
glass  reaching  nearly  to  the  floor,  and  furnished  with  a 
dining-table  in  the  centre,  a  lounge,  chairs,  a  desk, 
and  closets.  The  middle  portion  of  the  car  was 
divided  into  three  bedi'ooms,  excepting  a  narrow  pas- 
sage on  one  side.  Each  room  was  furnished  with 
double  bed,  washstand,  water-closet,  and  every  conven- 


14  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

ience  that  might  be  looked  for  in  any  well-conducted 
hotel,  and  the  entire  car  was  finished  in  walnut.  An 
excellent  opportunity  was  here  given  for  observation 
from  the  rear  of  this  car  —  a  privilege  which  was  freely 
offered,  and  gratefully  indulged  in  by  all  the  members 
of  the  party  ;  and  the  view  from  those  rear  windows  as 
the  train  sped  along  was  indeed  magnificent. 

And  now,  with  the  train  increased  by  this  Car  99, —  the 
comforts  of  w^hich  were  shared  by  others  of  the  party, 
with  its  principal  occupant  previously  referred  to, —  and 
with  the  addition,  also,  of  one  other  gentlemen,  Mr. 
Clarence  P.  Dresser,  of  Chicago,  who  is  connected  with 
the  Chicago  Eye  as  a  special  correspondent,  we  left 
Kansas  City  at  about  10.20  a.  m.,  to  continue  our 
route. 

Soon  after  leaving,  and  becoming  fairly  settled  in 
one's  section  for  a  journey,  the  enormous  distance 
covered  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  be- 
comes a  matter  for  reflection.  It  has  an  interesting 
history.  It  was  definitely  projected  and  persistently 
built  through  a  howling  wilderness  —  a  result  few  men 
of  that  day  would  have  been  bold  enough  to  prophesy. 
It  now  extends  from  Kansas  City  to  the  port  of  Guay- 
mas,  on  the  western  coast  of  Mexico,  and  to  El  Paso, 
where  its  track  is  continuous  with  that  of  the  Mexican 
Central,  which  is,  in  effect,  the  extension  of  its  line  un- 
broken to  the  City  of  Mexico.  Its  line  extends  across 
the  farms  and  orchards  of  Eastern  Kansas,  traverses 
the  Arkansas  Valley  for  nearly  four  hundred  miles, 
crosses  the  southeastern  corner  of  Colorado,  passes 
over  the  entire  length  of  New  Mexico  from  north  to 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  15 

south,  and  finally  places  its  passengers  beyond  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  United  States,  and  upon  for- 
eign soil.  A  gentleman  of  our  party  who  has  long 
been  connected  with  this  vast  enterprise  remembers 
when,  fifteen  years  ago,  all  this  Western  country, 
which  now  is  so  productive,  was  useless  and  unavail- 
able. Through  its  whole  extent  there  was  not  a 
soul  to  be  found,  and  there  was  not  while  the  line  was 
being  built.  Lands  which  were  as  productive  then  as 
they  are  to-day  could  not  be  sold,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  purchasers  had  no  way  of  marketing  their  prod- 
ucts except  by  the  slow  and  expensive  ox-team. 
And  now  look  at  the  enormous  change  that  has  taken 
place  in  so  short  a  time  through  the  agency  of  this 
road !  Look  at  the  large  increase  of  population,  and 
the  immensity  of  the  crops  that  are  produced  annually, 
and  will  any  one  question  the  propriety  of  the  land 
grant?  In  1870  Kansas  did  not  raise  enough  wheat  to 
feed  its  own  population  of  365,000,  and  the  bulk  of  its 
territory  was  not  worth  pre-emption  at  $1.25  an  acre. 
To-day  1,000,000  people  in  Kansas  hold  their  agricul- 
tural lands  at  twenty-five  times  their  value  in  1870 
(land  that  was  not  worth  pre-emption  now  being 
wanted  at  $30  and  $40  an  acre),  and  raise  one  eleventh 
of  the  wheat  crop  of  the  United  States  and  one  eighth 
of  the  corn  crop.  The  United  States  Agricultural 
Bureau  estimates  the  Kansas  wheat  crop  this  year  at 
from  48,000,000  to  50,000,000.bushels,  and  the  corn 
crop  at  the  enormous  figures  of  250,000,000  bushels. 
We  are  now  moving  again  rapidly  toward  Topeka, 
our  next  stopping-place,  and  where  we  are  expected  to 


16  EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO. 

dine.  In  the  meantime  let  us  enter  the  train,  in  imas- 
ination,  that  we  may  see  who  the  gentlemen  are  that 
compose  the  party,  and  that  are  to  be  our  companions 
for  the  next  three  weeks  ;  and  that  we  may  also  form 
some  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  they  pass  away  the 
time  on  a  long  trip  like  this,  particularly  as  there  are 
no  ladies  present  to  enliven  conversation  with  their 
pure  and  characteristic  humor,  or  to  draw  the  tribute 
of  pleasantry  which  is  due  them  from  the  sterner  sex. 
We  will  begin  by  entering  the  first  Buffet  car,  the 
Aragon,  and  going  through  a  narrow  passage,  richly 
ornamented  with  mirrors,  we  find  a  small  drawing-room 
at  our  right,  which  is  occupied  by  two  young  men  ;  one 
of  whom,  a  special  correspondent  of  the  Boston  Her- 
ald^ is  engaged  in  preparing  a  dispatch  to  be  forwarded 
to  Boston  by  wire  from  Topeka,  or  the  next  telegraph 
station  we  may  chance  to  stop  at.  This  dispatch  will 
appear  in  the  evening  edition  of  that  enterprising  news- 
paper this  very  day.  It  is  to  him  that  our  families 
and  friends  are  indebted  for  information  concerning 
the  progress  of  this  excursion,  which  is  given  twice 
each  day  through  the  columns  of  the  Herald.  The 
other  of  these  occupants  appears  to  be  surrounded 
with  maps  and  consular  reports,  evidently  obtaining 
information  of  some  sort  with  relation  to  Mexico.  He 
is  a  Spanish  gentleman,  long  since  naturalized  in  the 
United  States  ;  he  hopes  to  assist  in  ascertaining  the 
opportunities  offered  for  the  introduction  of  American 
textile  fabrics  into  Mexico.  We  will  not  disturb  these 
gentlemen  by  entering  the  room,  but  turning  aside,  we 
find  ourselves  at  the  foot  of  a  passageway  through  the 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  17 

centre  of  the  car.  Immediately  upon  our  right  sits  a 
gentleman  whose  animated  glance  attracts  our  atten- 
tion. He  is  the  president  of  the  largest  bicycle  firm  in 
the  world,  a  man  of  wealth,  and  largely  interested  in 
the  Mexican  and  other  roads.  During  the  war  he 
served  with  much  gallantry,  and  was  colonel  of  a 
Massachusetts  regiment.  The  ex-Mayor  of  Newton 
sits  at  our  left,  engaged  in  friendly  conversation  with 
his  townsman,  the  well-known  agent  in  Boston  for  the 
sale  of  a  celebrated  foreign  thread.  Further,  toward 
the  centre  of  the  car,  we  notice  four  gentlemen  intent 
upon  a  game  of  whist,  which  is  well  under  way.  One  of 
those  facing  us  is  a  wealthy  Boston  gentleman,  long 
experienced  in  the  dry-goods  trade,  treasurer  of  various 
manufacturing  corporations  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and 
a  director  in  the  Mexican  Central  road  ;  he  is  playing 
with  the  gentleman  from  New  York,  the  representative 
of  the  Arkwright  Club,  for  his  partner.  Their  oppo- 
nents are  the  Hon.  ex-Member  of  Congress  from  New 
Hampshire,  who  has  large  real  estate  and  railroad  in- 
terests —  a  wealthy  brewer  ;  and  his  partner  is  one  of 
the  largest  capitalists  in  Boston,  a  gentleman  who  has 
long  been  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business, 
and  is  interested  in  many  of  the  best  railroads  in  the 
country.  At  the  remote  end  of  this  parlor  we  find  the 
wealthy  Boston  merchant  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  trade  beyond  the  Mississippi,  than  whom,  probably, 
no  member  of  the  party  has  had  a  more  adventurous 
career,  having  made  many  journeys  among  the  Indian- 
traders  of  the  far  "West  during  his  early  life.  There 
are  also  two  others,  one    of  whom   is  a  capitalist  of 


18  EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO. 

Newton,  Mass.,  formerly  in  the  grocery  business,  and 
now  largely  interested  in  the  Mexican  Central,  the 
Atchison,  and  other  railroads  ;  the  other,  the  younger 
of  them,  whose  clear,  ringing  voice  may  be  heard  all 
over  the  car,  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  success- 
ful merchants  of  Chicago,  and  a  director  in  the  Mex- 
ican Central. 

We  now  proceed  out  of  this  car  through  a  narrow 
passage  similar  to  the  one  by  which  we  entered,  except 
that  we  pass  at  our  left  the  little  room  where  Tom  pre- 
pares a  variety  of  things  well  calculated  to  refresh  the 
inner  man,  and  also  the  smoking-room.  Stopping  here, 
for  a  moment  only,  to  greet  two  young  men  from  Chi- 
cago, the  representatives  of  leading  newspapers  in  the 
United  States,  we  .cross  over  the  platform  into  the  car 
Aguas  Calientes. 

This,  as  already  stated  elsewhere,  is  similar  to  the 
Aragon  in  design  and  finish.  We  find  the  drawing- 
room  occupied  by  a  gentleman,  a  civil  engineer  by  pro- 
fession, and  a  man  of  large  wealth.  He  is  also  a 
director  in  the  Mexican  Central  road,  and  it  is  to  him 
that  we  are  indebted  for  all  the  care  and  management 
of  this  excursion.  Seated  with  him  is  his  cousin,  a 
Boston  architect,  who  has  built  some  of  the  costliest 
houses  at  the  "  Hub."  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  pub- 
lic will  some  day  be  permitted  to  see  his  valuable  col- 
lection of  sketches  along  the  route.  Entering  the  par- 
lor, we  must  not  omit  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Hon. 
ex-Governor  of  Massachusetts,  whom  we  discover 
seated  and  reading  immediately  upon  our  right.  The 
one  sitting  opposite  to  the   Governor  is  a  gentleman 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  19 

practising  as  an  attorney  in  Boston,  who  was  for  two 
years  a  director  in  the  Mexican  Central  road,  and  is 
still  largely  interested  in  it.  Here,  also,  is  a  whist  party 
engaged  in  by  well-known  gentlemen.  One  of  those  fac- 
ing us  is  the  publisher  of  the  Boston  Daily  Herald^ 
which  has  a  very  large  circulation  :  he  is  an  ex-director 
in  the  Mexican  Central  road,  and  a  capitalist  largely 
interested  in  railways  and  other  enterprises.  The  other 
gentleman  has  a  large  ship-building  interest  in  Bath, 
Maine  ;  he  is  president  of  the  Eastern,  and  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Mexican  Central  road.  Their  respective 
partners  at  this  game  are  both  wealthy  capitalists  of 
Boston,  who  are  interested  in  various  leading  railroads. 
One  of  these  is  senior  member  of  a  large  grocery  firm, 
and  the  other,  who  from  the  color  of  his  hair  might  be 
taken  for  a  much  older  person,  is  member  of  an  old- 
established  mercantile  shipping-house.  The  venerable 
member  of  this  party  who  sits  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
parlor  is  a  wealthy  gentleman  of  Augusta,  Maine  ;  he 
is  a  director  in  the  Eastern,  and  largely  interested  in 
other  roads.  One  other,  sitting  opposite,  is  also  a 
capitalist,  and  member  of  a  Boston  firm  doing  business 
with  Smyrna. 

We  have  only  time  enough  to  pass  hastily  through 
the  Atchison  car  (No.  99),  which  we  find  almost  de- 
serted, the  few  occupants  having  retired  to  their  rooms 
to  prepare  for  dinner,  as  we  are  now  very  near  Topeka, 
the  capital  of  Kansas. 

Our  train  arrived  at  Topeka  at  one  o'clock  p.  m., 
and  allowed  us  twenty  minutes  for  dinner,  which 
awaited  us  at  the  station.     This  is  a  beautiful  citv  of 


20  EXCUKSION  TO  MEXICO. 

about  25,000  iuhabitauts  ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lous iu  the  State,  and  for  several  years  has  been  grow- 
ing very  rapidly.  The  general  offices  and  shops  of  the 
Santa  Fe  road  are  located  here.  Cars  and  engines  and 
complete  trains  are  manufactured  in  this  place.  Mem- 
bers of  a  late  editorial  convention  were  carried  on  an 
excursion  by  a  train,  every  part  of  which  was  manu- 
factured in  these  shops.  Topeka  is  a  city  of  wide 
streets,  beautiful  public  buildings,  and  fine  residences. 
The  Kansas  State  capitol  will  be,  when  completed,  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  Union.  The  Public  Library  Associ- 
ation has  erected  a  beautiful  structure  for  its  use  on 
the  capitol  grounds,  the  money,  $25,000,  having  been 
donated  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  and  the 
Union  Pacific  railroads.  Real  estate  is  active  and  prices 
reasonable  ;  indeed,  Topeka  is  enjoying  a  "  boom,"  and, 
as  becomes  the  capital  of  the  most  prosperous  State  in 
the  Union,  is  herself  prosperous.  To-pe-ka  is  an  Indian 
name,  meaning  "  a  good  potato  patch,"  —  and  it  is  a 
good  one. 

We  are  already  becoming  accustomed  to  keep  an  eye 
alwa^^s  upon  our  portable  residences,  lest  they  should 
get  away  from  us,  for  they  stop  and  start  again  without 
giving  much  warning  ;  so  that  an  absent-minded  person 
might  easily  get  left  at  some  station,  and  find  it  impos- 
sible to  join  us  again,  except  upon  our  return  trip  —  for 
we  are  moving  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  making  no  unneces- 
sary stops.  But,  of  course,  nothing  of  this  sort  is 
likely  to  happen,  for  the  party  are  in  the  habit  of  keep- 
ing always  together  whenever  we  get  out  of  the  cars  ; 
and  it  is  little  enough  to  ask  of  each  one  to  be  sure 
and  get  on  when  the  train  starts. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  21 

The  ti-ain  left  Topeka  at  1.30  p.  m.,  and  contin- 
ued its  course,  stopping  at  Burlingame,  Osage  City, 
Emporia,  and  other  important  cities  along  the  route, 
reaching  Newton  at  7  p.  m.  Here  an  opportunity  was 
given  for  supper.  Newton  is  an  incorporated  city,  sit- 
uated about  two  hundred  and  one  miles  from  Kansas 
City,  and  is  the  county-seat  of  Harvey  County.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  towns  in  the  Ai'kansas 
Valley ;  it  contains  a  population  of  nearly  four  thou- 
sand, and  is  rapidly  growing ;  it  is  well  provided  with 
churches  of  various  denominations  ;  it  has  a  graded 
public  school,  four  banks,  five  good  hotels,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  The  southwest  corner  of  Harvey 
County  just  touches  the  Arkansas  River.  This  is  one 
of  the  principal  wheat  counties  of  the  State,  averaging 
twenty-six  bushels  per  acre.  A  splendid  new  station 
has  just  been  erected  here  at  a  cost  of  830,000. 

Friday^  May  2d.  We  have  now  passed  out  of  the 
State  of  Kansas,  which  we  entered  yesterday  morning, 
and  have  entered  Colorado.  We  can  now  feast  our 
eyes  upon  its  vast  plains,  and  form  some  conception  of 
the  immensity  of  the  West.  There  is  at  times  no  limit 
to  our  view,  excepting  only  the  limit  of  our  own  vision. 
The  landscape  is  a  monotonous  plain,  relieved  only  by 
the  low,  blue  line  of  distant  mountains  on  the  west, 
with  the  snowy  crests  of  the  Spanish  peaks  as  the  most 
prominent  feature.     Well  has  Joaquin  Miller  said  :  — 

"  Colorado,  rare  Colorado  !  Yonder  she  rests;  her 
head  of  gold  pillowed  on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  her 
breast  a  shield  of  silver,  her  feet  in  the  brown  grass. 


22  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  boundless  plains  for  a  play-ground.  She  is  set  on 
a  hill  before  the  world.  The  air  is  very  clear,  that  you 
may  see  her  well.  She  is  as  naked  as  a  new-born 
babe  ;  naked,  but  not  ashamed." 

Probably  owing  to  the  early  season  of  the  year,  the 
plains  are  now  almost  barren  ;  little  else  than  brush  and 
very  short  grass  is  now  visible  upon^the  earth's  surface 
for  miles  around  ;  and  when  we  see,  now  and  again,  large 
herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  we  cannot  help  wondering 
how  these  poor  creatures  manage  to  sustain  life  at  this 
season  of  the  year. 

We  reached  La  Junta  at  8.15  a.  m.,  and  here  we  were 
invited  to  alight  and  partake  of  breakfast,  which  we 
gladly  did.  No  hesitation  was  ever  felt  by  any  one 
about  leaving  the  car,  with  our  things  all  within  easy 
reach  of  any  who  might  be  disposed  to  appropriate 
them ;  for  our  attentive  and  efficient  porters  were 
always  on  hand,  guarding  the  doors  during  our  absence. 
The  dining-rooms  were  in  a  separate  building,  a  little 
way  from  the  station,  and  connected  with  it  by  a  plank 
walk.  La  Junta  is  571  miles  from  Kansas  City,  and 
it  is  the  junction  of  the  Colorado  and  the  New  Mexico 
lines  of  the  Atchison  road.  It  is  a  railroad  town,  with 
a  population  of  about  1,000. 

We  found  it  covered  with  snow,  which  was  now 
falling  quite  fast ;  and  as  we  proceed,  our  course  gradu- 
ally ascending  upon  a  very  steeply  graded  road,  we  find 
the  ground  completely  covered  with  snow.  There  are 
several  small  stations  along  the  route,  but  few  of  them 
have  reached  the  importance  of  a  post-office.  Probably 
the  herders  who  ride  over  these  plains  do  not  devote 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  23" 

much  time  to  opening  the  morning  mail.  Among  other 
places  we  passed  the  city  of  Trinidad,  which  lies  at 
the  foot  of  Raton  Mountains,  652  miles  from  Kansas 
City.  This  is  the  county-seat  of  Las  Animas  County, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  important  between  Santa  Fe 
and  the  Missouri  River  in  the  days  of  the  Old  Santa 
Fe  Trail.  Trinidad  is  the  first  typical  Mexican  town 
met  with  on  the  southern  route  across  the  continent, 
and,  with  its  mixture  of  wooden,  brick,  and  adobe 
houses,  is  always  an  object  of  interest  to  trairellers  on 
a  first  journey  to  the^and  of  the  burro.  \    K 

Morley,  at  the  foot  of  Raton  Pass,  is  the  home  of 
about  sixty  people,  employed  by  the  railroad  company. 
Here  another  powerful  engine  is  added,  and  the  train 
begins  to  climb  up  the  mountain  on  one  of  the  best 
pieces  of  railroad-track  in  America.  The  grade  is  185 
feet  to  the  mile.  The  ascent  is  attended  with  many 
charming  views,  not  in  the  least  marred  by  the  name 
which  attaches  to  the  pass  —  "Devil's  Canon."  The 
view  afforded  from  the  pass  of  the  Spanish  peaks,  as 
they  rise  across  the  plains,  nearly  100  miles  to  the 
north,  affords  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  vast 
reach  of  vision  which  is  possible  in  these  mountain 
heights.  The  wagon-road,  the  same  Old  Santa  Fe 
Trail,  sticks  to  us,  and  runs  close  beside  the  track  ;  and 
it  is  not  diflScult  to  imagine  the  old-fashioned  way  of 
crossing  the  mountains,  for  down  there  on  t*he  right  is 
"  Uncle  Dick  Wootton's  "  great  square  house  —  an  old 
stage  station.  This  was  "  Uncle  Dick's"  Thermopylae  ; 
he  kept  the  pass  like  a  Spartan,  and  collected  toll  like 
the    enterprising  Yankee    that    he  was.     Five    miles 


24  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

farther  up  the  mountain,  at  an  elevation  of  7,688  feet, 
the  train  suddenly  plunges  into  a  tunnel  nearly  half  a 
mile  long,  running  under  the  crest  of  the  Raton  range. 
The  light  of  Colorado  quickly  vanishes,  and  that  which 
flashes  upon  us  again  in  a  few  minutes  is  the  warm 
brightness  of  sunny  New  Mexico, —  for  we  have  crossed 
the  border  while  going  through  the  tunnel.  But 
stranger  things  than  that   have  happened  in  tunnels. 

The  party  dined  at  Raton,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of 
Raton  M<|untains,  675  miles  from  Kansas  City.  It  has 
a  beautiful  site,  and  is  so  sheltered  by  the  mountains 
that  the  cold  is  never  severe,  while  its  high  altitude 
(6,688  feet)  gives  it  a  delightful  summer  temperature. 
The  principal  business  here  is  coal-mining.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  800,000  acres  of  coal-land  in  this 
(Colfax)  County. 

After  dinner  the  train  proceeded  to  Las  Vegas, 
snow  following  us  all  the  way,  and  we  arrived  at  this 
place  at  about  6.30  p.  m.  With  a  population  of  9,000, 
Las  Vegas  is  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  New  Mex- 
ico ;  it  is  situated  789  miles  from  Kansas  Cit}^  There 
are  two  towns,  the  old  and  the  new ;  the  old  town  is 
built  of  adobe,  and  was  one  of  the  important  stations 
of  the  Old  Santa  Fe  Trail,  as  the  new  town  is  an  im- 
portant station  of  the  new.  The  Mexican  population 
includes  some  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  noted  fami- 
lies in  the  Territory  —  families  who  have  taken  a  lead- 
ing part  in  all  that  has  been  done  here  for  several  geu- 
ations.  An  enterprising  class  of  people  from  the 
States  has  settled  in  the  new  town,  and  the  society  of 
Las  Vegas  is  such  as  may  be  found  in  any  Eastern  city. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  25 

A  Catholic  college,  a  female  seminary,  Las  Vegas 
Academy,  and  good  private  and  public  schools,  do 
credit  to  the  city.  Las  Vegas  is  centrally  located  with 
respect  to  the  finest  and  most  extensive  stock  ranges 
in  New  Mexico,  and  the  cattle  and  sheep  interests  are 
very  important.  The  meaning  of  Las  Vegas  is  the 
meadows^  and  a  view  of  the  landscape  shows  the  place 
to  have  been  appropriately  named. 

The  famous  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs  are  situated 
some  six  miles  from  the  city,  with  which  they  are  con- 
nected by  a  branch  of  the  Atchison,  running  four 
ti'ains  each  way  daily  between  the  Springs  and  the  city. 
The  climate  is  almost  perfect ;  and  situated  at  an  alti- 
tude of  6,767  feet,  the  place  of  itself  is  an  excellent 
resort  for  the  sick.  But  the  crowning  glory  is  the 
water  of  the  Springs,  which  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
hot  springs  of  Arkansas,  and  is  possessed  of  great 
medicinal  qualities. 

Saturday^  May  3d.  A  pleasant,  sunny  day  is  before 
us ;  the  snow  has  disappeared,  excepting  only  what 
may  be  seen  here  and  there  upon  the  mountain  peaks, 
apparently  not  many  miles  away.  The  earth  has 
assumed  a  reddish  tint.  All  the  little  hills  or  ridges 
that  we  pass  by  seem  to  be  composed  of  red  sand  or 
gravel,  with  little  or  no  signs  of  vegetation.  One  of 
the  places  we  stopped  at  this  morning  is  called  Socorro, 
and  is  one  of  the  principal  mining  towns  of  the  Terri- 
tory, with  a  population  of  about  5,000.  There  is  at 
this  place,  also,  a  new  and  old  town.  The  old  took  its 
name  from  the  story  that  "  once  upon  a  time,"  when  a 


26  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

revolution  was  in  progress,  a  party  of  Santa  Fe  Span- 
ish fugitives  received  help  here  from  their  country- 
men at  El  Paso.  Hence  the  name,  which  means 
"  succor." 

We  reached  San  Marcial  at  8.15  a.  m.,  and  time  was 
here  given  the  excursionists  for  breakfast.  The  battle 
of  Valverde,  named  after  a  little  Mexican  village 
across  the  Rio  Grande,  was  fought  here  between  the 
Confederate  troops  under  General  Sibley  and  the 
Union  troops  under  General  Canby,  in  1862.  San 
Marcial  is  1,021  miles  from  Kansas  City. 

It  was  at  this  station  that  we  were  fortunate  enough 
to  fall  in  with  the  scout,  author,  and  poet,  Captain  J. 
W.  Crawford,  familiarly  known  as  Captain  Jack.  The 
Captain  is  a  modest,  but  original  and  versatile  poet, 
and  is  entitled  to  a  wider  reputation  than  he  has  yet 
attained.  In  a  chat  about  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  it 
appeared  that  Captain  Jack  was  a  member  of  Colonel 
Pope's  regiment  at  the  storming  of  Fort  Hell,  and  upon 
arriving  in  Mexico,  the  Colonel  (who  was  one  of  our 
party)  received  a  pleasant  letter  from  the  scout,  enclos- 
ing the  following  impromptu  poetical  tribute  to  his 
former  comrade  and  commander :  — 


ACROSTIC. 

Albert,  here  I  wish  you  gladness, 
Always  sunshine  on  your  trail ; 

Pleasure  banish  care  and  sadness. 
Onward  drive  your  flowing  sail. 

Peace  be  yours  where'er  you  go, 

E'en  through  strange  old  Mexico. 


EXCUKSION  TO  MEXICO.  27 


KEMIXISCEXCE. 

Comrade  of  the  loyal  legiou, 

We  have  met  iu  hotter  region, 

Hell!  —  "  Fort  Hell,"  I  mean  — when  fighting 

For  our  flag,  our  country  righting;  — 

You  commanding,  I  obeying. 

With  my  comrades  ever  staying. 

Till  that  piece  of  rebel  shell 

Sent  me  limping  from  Fort  Hell. 

Here  it  was  our  gallant  Potter 
Fell  amidst  tlie  fearful  slaughter,  — 
Fell  to  rise  again,  God  bless  him ! 
See  his  loving  ones  caress  him ! 
See  his  country's  flag  and  ours 
Floating  high  o'er  freedom's  towers  — 
Ours  that  day —  a  fearful  tussle, 
Won  by  Heaven  and  Yankee  muscle. 

Peace!  good-will!  a  happy  land, 

Fraternity  on  every  hand ; 

Charity,  the  soldier's  boon, 

Loyalty  in  perfect  tune, 

North  and  South  and  East  and  West  — 

All  in  unison  are  blessed. 

J.  W.  Ceawfoed. 

Formerly  4Sth  Pa.  V.  V.,  late  Chief  of  Scouts,  U.  S.  Army. 

The  Kio  Grande  turns  to  the  west  side  of  the  road 
at  San  Marcial,  and  shortly  after  leaving  the  station, 
we  went  over  a  fine  bridge  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka, 
and  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  which  was  still  in  process  of 
construction.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Speare, 
the  managing  director  of  the  Atchison,  a  magnificent 
view  was  now  afforded  from  the  rear  window  of  (No. 
99)  the  last  car  on  the  train.     The  country  is  some- 


28  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

what  irregular  here,  and  the  reddish  tint  of  the  hills  or 
ridges  upon  either  side  of  the  road,  would  seem  to  in- 
dicate that  the  earth  was  impregnated  with  mineral 
substances. 

We  reached  Rincon  at  noon,  and  remained  here  a 
little  less  than  an  hour.  This  place  is  the  junction  of 
the  El  Paso  branch  of  the  Atchison  road,  which  runs 
down  the  Rio  Grande,  crossing  into  Texas  when 
within  eighteen  miles  of  El  Paso.  The  excursionists 
had  a  good  opportunity  at  Rincon  to  explore  the  inte- 
rior of  some  of  the  houses,  shops,  billiard-hall,  and  a 
"  hotel,"  all  built  of  adobe,  and  ranged  on  one  side  of 
the  road  opposite  the  station. 

The  train  reached  Las  Cruces  at  2.30  p.  m.  This  is 
the  principal  town  between  Rincon  and  El  Paso  ;  it  has 
a  population  of  3,000.  The  town  is  very  prettily  situ- 
ated at  the  foot  of  a  very  beautiful  range  of  mountains, 
one  of  which  is  named  Organ  Mountain,  from  its  pecul- 
iar peaks  of  irregular  heights,  not  unlike  the  pipes  of 
an  organ.  The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  here  has  the 
appearance  of  being  but  a  sandy,  sage-brush  barren  ; 
but  we  are  informed  that  irrigation  makes  it  the  best  of 
soil  for  fruit-growing,  and  more  particularly  for 
grapes. 

Two  hours'  longer  ride  brings  us  now  to  El  Paso, 
Texas,  the  terminus  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad — or,  that  is  to  say,  the  terminus  of 
this  branch  of  that  road.  The  population  of  El  Paso 
is  about  3,500,  and  the  city  is  growing  very  rapidly  ;  a 
large  retail  and  wholesale  trade  is  done  here  ;  there  are 
hotels,  banks,  and  a  street  railway  running  across  the 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  29 

Rio  Grande  to  the  old  town  of  Paso  del  Norte.  The 
Atchison  road  connects  here  in  its  own  depot  with  the 
Mexican  Central  Raih-oad. . 

There  being  ample  time  at  onr  disposal,  we  left  the 
cars  and  walked  through  the  city,  visiting  the  principal 
shops,  many  of  them  of  great  extent,  and  carrying 
lines  of  goods  which  would  do  credit  to  the  largest 
concerns  at  home.  Vast  quantities  of  goods  of  Amer- 
ican manufacture  are  received  here  and  sent  across  the 
Rio  Grande  by  mule  trains  at  isolated  points  along  the 
river.  The  contraband  trade  with  Mexico  is  said  to 
be  enormous. 

The  tourists  took  passage  in  the  street-cars,  and 
went  across  the  river  to  Paso  del  Norte,  the  "  gateway 
of  Mexico,"  which,  though  brought  into  prominence  by 
its  railway  connections,  is  still  the  typical  Mexican 
town.  This  we  find  a  very  different  place  from  t^e^ 
bustling  Yankee  town  on  the  American  side  —  a  quaint 
adobe  town,  embowered  with  verdure,  threaded  by  irri- 
gatiug  ditches,  filled  with  picturesque  figures  in  colored 
serapes^  in  every  way  foreign  to  the  eye.  This  is 
nominally  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Mexican  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  though  the  ti'ains  of  that  road  now  cross 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  connect  with  those  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe,  in  a  union  depot.  At  Paso  dei^ 
Norte  are  some  of  the  most  important  buildings  of  the 
Mexican  Central  Railway.  There  is  a  large  adobe  sta- 
tion, with  offices,  built  in  the  Mexican  fashion,  with  an 
interior  court ;  and  there  is  also  a  large  and  well-fur- 
nished hospital  for  sick  and  disabled  employees  of  the 
company.     This    building    attracted    much    attention, 


30  EXOUKSIOX   TO   MEXICO. 

and  was  warmly  commended  by  the  party.  The  res- 
taurant in  the  station  gave  us  also  evidence  of  its  good 
management.  Here  the  Mexican  customs  officers  sub- 
mit the  passengers  to  the  usual  annoyance  of  examin- 
ing baggage ;  but,  thanks  to  the  influence  of  Mr. 
Mackenzie,  the  superintendent  of  the  road,  we  were 
subjected  to  little  or  no  inconvenience  by  this  ordeal. 
Having  exchanged  money  at  the  station,  we  again 
resumed  our  journey. 

Sunday^  May  4th.  A  night-run  across  the  desert 
lands  between  Paso  del  Norte  and  Chihuahua,  brought 
our  train  to  the  first  considerable  Mexican  city.  As 
approached  by  the  railroad,  Chihuahua  presents  a  pic- 
turesque appearance.  Across  the  plain,  in  the  clear 
atmosphere  of  the  Mexican  morning,  rose,  above  the 
white  and  brown  walls  of  the  city,  the  twin  towers  of 
its  noble  cathedral.  It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  the 
entire  party  visited  the  cathedral  to  witness  morning 
mass.  The  shops  were  all  open,  and  were  driving  a 
flourishing  business.  In  the  plaza  under  the  trees  were 
gathered  fruit-venders,  loafers,  and  idling  Americans. 
Women  looking  like  figures  from  the  Orient,  were  fill- 
ing their  brown  water- jars  from  the  fountain  in  the 
centre  of  the  plaza.     All  was  life  and  animation. 

The  city  of  Chihuahua  was  founded  in  1604,  and  is 
the  capital  of  the  State  of  Chihuahua.  It  is  225  miles 
from  El  Paso,  and  has  an  altitude  of  4,600  feet.  Nearly 
all  the  houses  are  of  adobe,  —  although  the  public  build- 
ings and  some  of  the  dwellings  are  of  stone,  —  and  are 
built  in  the  usual  Mexican  style,  around  a  square  or 


EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO.  31 

court  called  a  X)lactita.  The  city  is  supplied  with 
water  from  the  river  Churiscar,  ten  miles  distant,  by 
means  of  an  aqueduct  built  by  the  Spanish  between  the 
years  1717  and  1720.  It  is  built  of  stone  and  cement, 
a  large  part  being  built  upon  great  arches  of  masonry, 
and  is  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  The  princi- 
pal domestic  articles  of  commerce  are  coffee,  sugar, 
rice,  cocoa,  spices,  hats,  shoes,  cassimeres,  blankets, 
and  serapes.  The  principal  trade  of  the  city  is  with 
the  mining  towns  to  the  west.  The  population  is  offi- 
cially stated  at  20,000.  The  streets  are  cleanly,  and 
good  order  and  thorough  police  organization  is  pre- 
served. It  is  said  that  the  Cathedral  of  Chihuahua 
was  commenced  in  the  year  1738  and  finished  in  1849, 
at  a  cost  of  8750,000  —  the  proceeds  of  a  special  tax  on 
the  products  of  the  Santa  Eulalia  silver  mine,  which  is 
situated  about  fifty  miles  from  the  city.  A  clock, 
illuminated  at  night,  ornaments  its  dome,  and  its  facade 
is  embellished  with  life-size  statues  of  the  Saviour  and 
the  twelve  apostles.  In  one  of  its  towers  is  a  bell 
which  was  pierced  by  a  cannon-ball  at  the  time  of  Maxi- 
milian's invasion,  in  1866.  The  Government  mint  was 
formerly  a  church,  and  from  its  tower,  where  he  had 
been  confined,  the  patriot  Hidalgo  was  taken  to  execu- 
tion^July  30.  l^TTTon  the  spot  now  markedl3y  a  simple 
monument  of  white  stone . 

Leaving  Chihuahua,  Sunday  afternoon,  the  train 
sped  southward  through  a  country  which  was  very 
interesting.  Barren  stretches  of  plain,  on  which  the 
various  plants  of  the  cactus  family  assumed  weird 
and  grotesque  shapes,  were  succeeded  by  fertile  val- 


32  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

Ie3's,  where  there  was  every  evidence  of  great  agricult- 
ural wealth  aud  development.  Stops  were  made  at 
Santa  Rosalia,  Lerdo,  and  other  stations  between  Chi- 
huahua and  Zacatecas.  At  Lerdo,  in  the  Laguna 
County,  the  party  were  surprised  at  the  richness  of  the 
region.  This  is  a  prosperous  town  of  10,000  inhabit- 
ants, and  the  emporium  of  the  cotton  district,  which 
now  yields  30,000  bales  a  year,  all  of  which  goes  south 
for  consumption.  The  soil  and  climate  are  so  favor- 
able that  the  plants  need  renewal  only  every  fourth  or 
[fifth  year,  and  with  improved  machinery  and  presses, 
greater  areas  would  be  brought  under  culture,  and  the 
ratio  of  production  largely  increased.  It  is  safe  to 
"predict  that  Lerdo  will,  in  time,  become  the  greater 
shipping-point  for  the  road  than  even  Zacatecas,  at 
which  it  is  expected  that  the  freight  receipts  will  soon 
amount  to  $50,000  per  month. 

The  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  on  these  tablelands 
is  wonderful.  Mountains  one  hundred  miles  away  seem 
not  more  than  twenty  miles  distant.  The  sky  had  a 
loftier  look  than  with  us  at  home  ;  the  very  breath  of 
life  was  in  the  air,  which  was  invigorating  in  the  ex- 
treme. Before  reaching  Zacatecas,  the  train  passed 
for  miles  on  miles  across  a  vast  plain  under  cultivation. 
For  many  square  miles  on  either  hand  stretched  this 
enormous  plain  of  rich-toned  red  earth.  The  artist 
of  the  party  declared  that  no  brush  could  hope  to  put 
on  canvas  the  rich,  deep  tones  of  this  wonderful  red 
plain,  on  which  the  sun  shone  down  in  full  splendor. 
The  blending  of  the  blue  of  the  sky  with  the  rich  hue 
of  the  great  plain,  was  suggestive  of  new  harmonies 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  33 

of  color.  The  view  was  closed  in,  in  the  remote  dis- 
tance, by  purple  mountains,  whose  tops  were  bathed  in 
sunshine. 

To  reach  the  mountain  city  of  Zacatecas  from  the 
plain,  the  road  must  needs  climb  a  great  many  hundred 
feet ;  and  the  manner  in  which  .eng;ineerino^  skill  has 
here  conquered  the  topographical  obstacles,  elicited  the 
warm  praise  ot  veteran  tourists.^  Here  may  be  found 
a  series  of  "  horseshoe  curves,"  which  are  more  won- 
derful even  than  the  famous  ones  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Central.  Our  ti'ain  climbed  the  mountain  in  the  late 
hours  of  a  glorious  afternoon.  At  the  summit  there 
was  a  superb  panorama  disclosed  from  the  platfornij. 
of  the  observation-car.  The  view  seemed  like  a  peen 
into  illimitable  space.  The  setting  sun  gilded  the  tops 
of  great  mountains  eighty  miles  away  —  mountains 
rolling  up  on  the  far-off  horizon  like  the  billows  of 
ocean.  No  wonder  that  Mr.  Church  says  that  Mexico 
is  superior  to  Italy  in  landscape  effects.  Members  of 
the  party  who  had  spent  years  abroad  could  not  find 
words  adequate  to  express  their  wonder  and  admiration. 
"  I  would  give  810,000  to  the  artist  who  could  paint  the 
view  for  me^"  exclaimed  one  of  them. 

From  the  mountain-top  the  train  descended,  in  many 
long,  sweeping  curves,  to  the  mountain  valley,  where 
the  mining  city  of  Zacatecas  is  nestled  amid  its  huge, 
brown  hills.  It  was  the  "  Cinco  de  Mayo"  (5th  of 
May),  the  Mexican  Fourth  of  Jul}^,  and  all  Zacatecas 
was  out  in  holiday  attire.  Several  people  had  assem- 
bled to  witness  the  arrival  of  the  splendid  train,  and 
the  Spanish  vocabulary  was  liberally  drawn  upon  to 


34  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

find  terms  fit  to  express  the  popular  approval  of  the 
luxurious  cars  of  the  Americans.  Many  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  and  their  wives  and  daughters  were  admit- 
ted to  the  train,  and  shown  the  wonders  of  the  pretty 
buffets,  with  elegant  inlaid  panels  and  sleeping-berths. 
All  night  long  crowds  of  wide-eyed  peons  clustered 
about  the  train.  They  were  there  at  dusk,  and  moru- 
ino;  liorht  showed  no  diminution  of  their  number. 

In  the  evening  the  party  took  dinner  at  the  Hotel 
Zacatecano  —  a  large  stone  structure,  two  stories  in 
height,  and  built  in  the  prevailing  style  of  the  country, 
with  an  interior  court.  The  building  was  formerly  a 
convent,  but  had  been  confiscated  by  the  Government. 
After  dinner  the  party  walked  to  the  plaza  ' '  El  Jar- 
din,"  and  were  received  at  the  palace  by  Don  Juan 
Carnales,  the  acting  Governor  of  the  State  of  Zacate- 
cas.  The  plaza  was  thronged  with  people  —  a  wonder- 
fully sober  and  polite  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. There  was  not  a  drunken  man  in  the  vast 
assembly  ;  not  a  loud  word  was  heard  ;  and  the  visiting 
Americans  were  treated  with  marked  courtesy.  The 
ptezawas  like  a  dream  of  the  Arabian  JNights."  Thou- 
sands of  Chinese  lanterns  hung  from  the  trees,  or  were 
festooned  on  cords.  Several  electric  lights  threw  their 
greater  wealth  of  illumination  upon  the  throng  ;  bands 
of  music  were  discoursing  a  fine  programme  from  a 
raised  platform  in  the  centre  ;  and  the  picturesque  cos- 
tumes of  the  Mexican  common  people,  full  of  color, 
accentuated  with  scarlet  and  crimson,  helped  make  up 
a  scene  such  as  few  of  our  Amei'ican  eyes  had  before 
seen..   This  was  indeed  a  rare  treat  from  the  balcony 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  35 

of  the  palace,  as  we  stood  listening  to  the  music  for  a 
few  moments. 

The  great  acqueduct  of  Zacatecas,  the  Pompeiian 
decoration  of  the  exterior  of  man}^  of  the  houses,  and 
the  convent-crowned  mountain-top,  were  ti'ansf erred  to 
the  sketch-book  of  the  special  artist  of  the  party.  The 
city  is  distinctively  a  mining  town.  From  the  huge, 
denuded  hills  have  been  dug  hundreds  of  millions  of 
silver  dollars.  This  region  must  afford  much  business 
to  the  road.  The  freight-house  at  Zacatecas  was 
crowded  with  goods  and  agricultural  products,  received 
on  the  Sunday  before  the  national  holiday,  and  out- 
side stood  a  train  of  packed  freight  cars.  In  the 
freight  house  the  party  inspected  tiers  of  cotton-bales,, 
the  oval-shaped  bales  of  "native  wool,  and  the  packages 
of  tobacco  of  Mexican  growth.  Zacatecas  requires 
two  car-loads  of  sugar  per  week,  which  come  up  from 
the  City  of  Mexico  —  a  sugar  of  native  production  and 
refining.  Freight  is  increasing  steadily  at  this  point. 
No  one  can  help  seeing  the  business  in  plain  sight. 
The  local  merchants  are  glad  enough  to  have  ex- 
changed the  slow  hurro  for  the  lightning  express,  com-  [vjO*^ 
paratively  speaking,  of  the  freight-trains.  The  great 
need^of  all  the  region  is  water  ;  and  with  the  perfection 
of  great  and  extensive  systems  of  irrigation,  the  coun- 
try will  blossom  as  the  rose. 

Tuesday,  May  6th.  Starting  down  the  road  in  the 
morning,  the  train  descended  a  sharp  grade  to  another 
vast,  red  plain,  also  under  cultivation.  Several  forti- 
fied haciendas  were  passed,  and  there  was  enough  of 


36  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

interest  to  keep  the  eyes  of  the  party  strained  for 
hours.  It  was  a  panorama  of  novelty  and  strange 
beauty.  The  train  stopped  at  some  of  the  stations 
along,  and  the  tourists  were  afforded  the  opportunity 
to  purchase  delicious  oranges,  strawberries,  pineapples, 
bananas,  and  other  tropical  fruits,  from  native  venders 
who  gathered  at  the  station  upon  the  approach  of  the 
train. 

We  rolled  into  Aguas  Calientes  at  about  noon. 
Mexico  has  a  popular  and  growing  summer  resort  at 
Aguas  Calientes,  375  miles  from  the  City  of  Mexico,  in 
the  mountains.  The  place  is  as  high  as  the  top  of 
Mt.  Washington,  and  the  air  cool  and  bracing.  This 
is  a  lovely  city  of  about  30,000  people,  which  lies  on  a 
plain,  far  across  which  may  be  discerned  its  graceful 
towers.  The  city  of  "hot  waters,"  which  its  name 
implies,  has  been  famous  for  centuries.  Its  thermal 
springs  were  places  of  resort  for  the  subjects  of  the 
Montezumas  —  centuries  before  Boston  was  founded, 
or  Columbus  had  crossed  the  ocean  to  open  the  way 
for  bold  Cortez.  There  are  two  first-class  bathing- 
establishments  near  the  railway  station,  to  which  the 
hot  water  is  led  through  canals  from  the  distant 
springs.  By  the  time  the  baths  are  reached  the  water 
has  become  tepid,  and  pleasant  for  bathing.  A  single 
bath  costs  twenty  cents,  and  a  swimming-bath  in  pools 
filled  by  an  overflowing  stream  costs  twenty-five  cents. 
Clean  towels  and  soap  are  furnished  by  the  polite 
attendants.  Many  of  the  excursionists  tried  the  vir- 
tues of  the  famous  waters,  and  were  greatly  refreshed 
thereby.  The  bathing-establishments  are  clean  and 
atti'active  with  their  gardens  and  flowers. 


EXCUKSION  TO  MEXICO.  37 

A  short  stop  was  made  here,  and  the  entire  party 
visited  the  city  proper,  a  short  distance  from  the  sta- 
tion. The  bells  in  the  church-towers  clanged  out  the 
hour  of  noon  as  the  party  arrived*  at  the  plaza  in  front 
of  the  City  Hall ;  and  immediately  after,  two  trump- 
eters, clad  in  a  fatigue  uniform  of  white,  emerged  from 
the  edifice,  and  added  to  the  volume  of  sound  which 
filled  the  vibrating  air.  The  Plaza  de  Armas  was 
thronged  with  idle  people  in  white,  and  wearing  broad- 
brimmed  sombreros.  The  waters  laved  the  basins  of 
the  fountains,  the  air  was  full  of  the  rich  perfume  of 
the  oleander-trees,  while  dark-eyed  maidens  in  white 
muslins  and  mantillas  glided  along  the  walks,  accom- 
panied by  their  mammas  or  duenas.  The  Paseo,  a 
lovely  garden  of  large  extent,  was  next  visited.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  gardens  in  all  Mexico. 
Shrill-voiced  tropical  birds  sang  in  the  branches  of  the 
lofty  trees,  while  children  chattered  in  musical  Castil- 
ian  below.  The  tourists  were  delighted  with  fair 
Aguas  Calientes,  the  Saratoga  of  Mexico,  and  left 
regretfully. 

Beyond  Aguas  Calientes  the  train  sped  on  through  a 
country  dotted  with  hacienclas,  until  the  great  bridge 
of  Encarnacion  was  reached.  This  fine  iron  structure 
is  over  1,000  feet  in  length,  and  135  feet  above  the 
stream  below.  It  was  built  in  England,  and  is  a  sub- 
stantial specimen  of  bridge- work.  The  train  was 
stopped  after  crossing  the  bridge,  and  a  portion  of  the 
party  descended  to  the  foot  of  the  embankment,  to  get 
a  clearer  notion  of  the  immensity  of  the  structure. 

The  next  stop  of  importance  was  at  Lagos,  a  beau- 


38  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

tiful  town,  surrounded  by  lakes,  or  lagos,  from  which 
it  derives  its  name.  The  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
place  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  station 
is  of  adobe,  two  stories  in  height — a  creditable  building. 
The  freight-house  was  visited,  and  the  party  had  a 
chance  to  witness  the  unloading  of  a  train  of  ox- 
wagons,  which  had  brought  in  several  hundred  sacks 
of  salt  to  send  off  by  rail.  Diminutive  peons  would 
take  300-pound  sacks  on  their  shoulders  and  tote  them 
to  the  cars,  going  up  a  sharp  incline  with  firm  step. 

Another  long  stop  was  made  at  Leon,  the  second 
city  as  to  population  in  the  country.  Leon  contains 
120,000  souls,  and  in  its  immediate  suburbs  are  50,000 
more.  It  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  leather, 
cotton  and  woollen  goods,  saddlery  (for  which  the 
place  is  famous),  hats,  cloth,  boots,  shoes,  and  cutlery, 
and  is  surrounded  by  cultivated  valleys.  One  cannot 
fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  size  of  Leon,  for  it  is 
crowded  with  people,  the  streets  are  thronged  with 
peons,  and  there  is  every  evidence  of  a  great  indus- 
trial centre. 

The  party  reached  the  centre  of  the  city  by  means 
of  street-cars,  riding  through  a  long.  Oriental-looking 
street  with  houses  of  adobe  built  upon  each  side  of  the 
road  ;  and  they  visited  the  fruit  market,  where  a  large 
assortment  of  fruit  could  be  seen,  and  with  some  varie- 
ties of  which  our  tourists  became  acquainted  for  the 
first  time.  They  also  visited  the  theatre,  which  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  country,  only  second  to  the  Teatro 
Nacional  of  the  metropolis  itself,  and  is,  if  anything, 
more  beautiful.     The  churches  of  Leon  are  large,  and 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO-  39 

very  imposing  iu  appearance.  There  are  a  large  num- 
ber of  extensive  dry-goods  stores ;  also  groceries, 
cigar,  and  wine-shops  in  abundance  —  the  same  gen- 
eral appearance  everywhere.  One-story  buildings  pre- 
dominate ;  and  dark-skinned  people,  men,  women,  and 
children,  congregate  about  the  low  doorways, 

Silao,  with  its  domes  and  spires,  was  the  next  place 
of  stoppage.  Here  the  train  was  side-tracked  for  the 
night.  Silao  is  a  pretty  city  of  30,000  inhabitants.  It 
has  large  flouring-mills,  and  is  the  junction  point  of 
the  branch  line  to  Guanajuato,  a  city  of  75,000  people, 
mainly  devoted  to  mining  interests,  and  which  is  the 
capital  of  the  State  of  Guanajuato. 

Wednesday,  May  7th.  An  early  start  was  made 
this  morning  upon  the  branch  road,  to  visit  the  richest 
mining  city  in  Mexico.  Guanajuato  is  pronounced  by 
old  travellers  to  be  unique.  Situated  in  a  mountain 
gorge,  its  drab  houses  of  adobe  perched  on  the  steep 
sides  of  the  hills,  it  afforded  to  the  artistic  eye  a  great 
many  attractions.  You  cannot  conceive  of  a  more 
curious  old  town.  It  has  noble  churches,  a  fine  plaza, 
and  a  handsome  market,  though  not  so  grand  as  the 
domed  market  of  Leon ;  but  in  the  Guanajuato  market 
you  see  ancient  Mexico^  The  vendei's  sit  in  TurkishI 
Fashion  on  the  ground,  with  their  wares  spread  out! 
around  them,  and  it  is  a| place  of  animation.!  ' 

The  public  school  system  ot  Mexico,  tostered  by  the 
national  Government,  will  soon  raise,  in  a  sensible 
manner,  the  level  of  popular  intelligence.  Education 
for  all  is  the  policy  of  the  Government.     In  the  per- 


40  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

paratory  schools,  where  pupils  are  too  poor  to  remain 
in  school  unassisted,  the  national  Government  comes 
to  their  relief,  and  by  pecuniary  assistance  to  the  par- 
ents, enables  the  boy  to  get  an  education.  The  good 
manners  of  the  school-children  of  Mexico  merit  com- 
mendation. ' '  ^Trbam  ty^'  is  a  school  study  asmuch 
as  arithmetic  or  spelling.  There  is  a  regular  school- 
boolT^hich  treats  of  such  topics  as  respect  to  one's 
elders  and  superiors,  the  etiquette  of  the  home  and  the 
street.  Thus  carefully  trained  at  an  age  when  disci- 
pline is  most  required,  the  Mexican  youth  grows  up 
with  good  manners  and  courteous  habits.  It  was  in- 
deed a  pleasing  sight,  the  exquisite  manners  of  the 
youngest  children  in  the  primary  school  of  Guanajuato, 
which  we  visited.  Youngsters  of  four  and  five  received 
foreign  visitors,  clad  in  a  garb  which  to  them  must 
have  appeared  quite  outlandish,  without  a  murmur  of 
laughter,  and  with  all  the  aplomb  of  cosmopolites. 
Children  in  Mexico  are  kept  in  wholesome  subjection 
to  their  elders.  Corporal  punishment  is  the  rule,  but 
parental  discipline  is  tempered  by  that  kindly  familiar- 
ity with  the  children  of  the  household  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  Latin  nations.  Babies  are  wonderfully 
numerous  here.  The  quaint  little  brown  faces  of  the 
black-eyed  infants  of  the  lower  classes  peep  at  you 
everywhere  on  the  streets  from  out  the  folds  of  the 
mother's  rebozos.  The  Mexican  baby  of  the  lower 
classes  is  out  of  doors  a  large  part  of  its  life.  Some  of 
them  are  hungry-looking  little  pinched  bodies,  so 
meagre  as  to  excite  your  pity,  yet  are  never  heard  cry- 
ing.    Perhaps  this  is  an  Aztec  characteristic. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  41 

The  tourist  in  Mexico  should  not  omit  to  visit  Guan- 
ajuato. Its  massive,  fortified  reduction  works,  its 
grand  bits  of  masonry  in  the  way  of  bridges^  its  aspect 
of  antiquity,  and  its  Oriental  character,  will  charm  the 
lover  of  the  picturesque.  OTtfe^ 
"""K^urning  now  to  Silao,  a  sumptuous  "  table  d'hote" 
dinner,  such  as  only  the  French  know  how  to  pre- 
pare, was  provided  for  the  party  at  the  station  by  the 
little  Frenchman  who  has  charge  of  the  restaurant. 
The  abundance  and  variety  of  the  "  menu  "  is  beyond 
ordinary  ability  to  describe. 

Coming  down  the  road  a  stop  was  made  at  Celaya, 
where  the  duke  (sweatmeats)  venders  swarmed  about 
the  train,  and  the  excursionists  bought  sweets,  and  ate 
of  mangoes  and  mamayas  to  their  hearts'  content. 
Celaya  has  a  population  of  30,000,  has  extensive  cot- 
ton and  woollen  mills  and  bleacheries.  We  were  hei-e^ 
informed  of  the  wrecking  of  the  train  which  passed  us 
last  night  —  a  compliment  which  was  undoubtedly  in- 
tended for  us  ;  and  we  learned  that  the  desperadoes  who 
attempted  to  wreck  the  train  were  being  hunted.  Three 
of  them  have  already  been  caught,  and  immediately 
executed,  and  the  Government  will  do  all  that  is  pos"- 
sible  to  quellthe_mob^  Every  man  caught  doing  any 
lawless  act  against  this  road  will,  upon  proof  of  guilt, 
be  immediately  shot.  They  are  reported  to  be  a  band 
of  robbers.  They  derailed  simply  the  eugine,  and  shot 
at  the  engineer,  but  succeeded  in  injuring  only  one 
man,  a  Mexican,  who  carried  a  great  deal  of  money 
with  him.  A  portion  of  the  wreck  was  still  upon  one 
side  of  the  track  when  we  passed  the  spot  at  5.30  p.  m.  i 


J 


42  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

A  very  brief  stop  was  made  at  Queretero  —  a  city 
containing  a  great  many  churches  and  36,000  inhab- 
itants, and  where  bigotry  is  intrenched  still.  It  is  a 
lovely  city  indeed,  with  a  noble  aqueduct,  some  of 
the  arches  of  which  are  ninety  feet  in  height.  Three 
crosses  mark  the  spot  on  the  small  hill  north  of  the 
city  where  the  Archduke  Maximillian  and  Generals 
Miramon  and  Mejia  were  shot,  June  19,  1867.  Here 
is  situated  also  the  famous  Hercules  Cotton  Mill,  where 
1,400  people  are  employed.  Shortly  after  leaving 
Queretero,  a  fine  bird's-eye  view  was  afforded  from 
the  car  windows  of  the  mill  buildings,  boarding-houses, 
and  the  grounds  surrounding  them,  as  we  passed  on. 
The  wealth  of  the  rich  Rubio  family  came  out  of  this 
mill,  which  has  its  little  standing  army,  and  has  re- 
sisted several  revolutions.  At  night  the  train  stopped 
at  San  Juan  del  Rio.  This  city  has  a  population  of 
18,000,  and  is  active  and  enterprising. 

Thursday^  May  8th.  The  train  left  San  Juan  del 
Rio  at  a  very  early  hour  in  the  morning.  As  the 
train  climbs  the  low  mountains  to  the  south,  we  have 
a  lovely  view  of  the  valley,  of  the  distant  mountains, 
and  the  great  haciendas  scattered  along  the  plains  at 
their  feet.  Upward  through  the  broken  and  pictur- 
esque country,  across  the  broad  plain  of  Cazadero, 
and  over  the  summit  at  Marquez,  the  train  goes  down 
in  the  Tula  Valley,  amid  timber,  and  foliage,  and  evi- 
dences of  approach  to  the  tropics.  Tula  is  full  of 
interest  for  the  student  of  antiquities,  and  has  many 
relics  of  the  Toltec  civilization.  It  is  a  growing  city 
of  about  10,000  inhabitants. 


EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO.  43 

As  the  train  passed  down  into  the  famous  valley  of 
Mexico,  the  farms  or  plantations  increased  in  number  ; 
the  country  grew  more  thickly  populated  ;  the  purple 
mountains,  which  bound  the  valley  of  Mexico,  shut  in 
the  horizon ;  and  over  all  swelled  the  blue  vault  of  the 
everlasting  firmament.  The  valley  of  Mexico  has  been 
the  theme  of  poet  and  historian ;  its  beauties  have 
never  been  exaggerated  ;  it  has  been  the  theatre  of 
the  bravest  deeds  of  men  of  arms,  the  scene  of  great 
acts,  and  of  romantic  exploits.  Here  nature  matches 
the  grandeur  of  history.  The  stage  is  ample  for  the 
grandest  representations  of  human  passion  or  courage. 

The  train  sped  around  a  curve,  and  entered  the  city 
of  Mexico  by  the  side  of  the  "  Tajo  de  Nochistcmgo" 
the  cut  or  trench,  four  miles  in  length,  30  to  160  feet 
deep,  and  from  200  to  300  feet  wide,  which  was  built 
in  1607,  in  order  to  save  the  city  from  inundation. 
There  are  no  less  than  six  lakes :  Chalco  and  Xochi- 
milco,  the  southernmost,  whose  levels  are  ten  feet 
above  that  of  Texcoco,  the  largest  and  nearest,  but 
six  feet  below  the  pavement  of  the  city  at  ordinary 
stages  of  the  water ;  San  Christobal,  a  small  lake 
north  of  Texcoco,  and  Xaltocan,  and  Zumpango  in 
the  northern  end  of  the  valley,  at  an  elevation  of 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  city ;  and  until  this  trench 
was  made,  which  was  originally  made  in  the  shape  of 
a  tunnel,  the  city  was  constantly  threatened  with  inun- 
dation. 

The  towers  of  the  great  cathedral  are  now  pointed 
out  to  us,  and  very  soon  we  are  in  Mexico,  a  city 
which  for  grandeur  of  site  has  few  rivals.     The  party 


44  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

was  met  at  the  station  by  Mr.  Robinson,  the  general 
manager  of  the  road,  Mr.  Lawrie  of  Boston,  Mr. 
Camacho  of  Mexico,  both  directors  of  the  road,  and 
a  delegation  of  the  leading  citizens.  Mr.  Camacho 
kindly  placed  his  residence  at  the  service  of  the  visit- 
ors, and  they  were  conveyed  there  in  private  carriages 
which  were  in  waiting.  The  party  spent  the  afternoon 
quietly  resting,  after  their  long,  continuous  ride. 

The  City  of  Mexico  was  a  seat  of  art,  science,  and 
commerce,  long  before  the  Spanish  Conquerors  reached 
the  shores  of  the  New  World.  It  lies  in  latitude  19^  26' 
north  of  the  equator,  and  at  an  elevation  above  the  sea 
of  7,450  feet.  The  temperature  ranges  between  65 
and  85^,  varying  little  with  the  seasons  ;  the  mornings 
and  nights  are  cool,  while  at  midday  it  is  invariably 
hot.  The  climate  is  strictly  temperate,  and  the  peri- 
odical alternations  of  rain  and  drought  occur  with  regu- 
larity. The  rainy  season  extends  from  June  to  Nov- 
ember, and  is  the  most  delightful  period  of  the  year. 
Early  in  June  all  nature  seems  to  look  expectantly  for 
the  approaching  shower,  and  dry,  brown  hills  have  been 
known  to  turn  green  in  a  single  night ;  the  beds  of 
water-courses,  which  for  months  have  remained  per- 
fectly dry,  in  a  few  days  are  transformed  into  chan- 
nels of  furious  streams.  The  city  is  built  on  a  part 
of  the  old  bed  of  Lake  Texcoco,  and  if  not  favorably 
located,  science  and  art  have  done  much  to  make  it 
a  beautiful  city ;  and  there  seems  to  be  a  disposition 
among  the  authorities  to  make  their  nation's  capital 
compare  favorably  with  the  capitals  of  other  countries. 

To  a  stranger,  everything  within  the   gates  of  this 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  45 

ancieut  city  seems  curious  and  interesting :  the  man- 
ners, customs,  dress,  and  the  peculiar  habits  of  the 
people  afford  an  interesting  and  entertaining  study. 
Since  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  however,  the  tele- 
graph and  the  telephone  —  three  of  the  most  active 
agents  of  modern  civilization  —  the  city  has  progressed 
remarkably,  many  improvements  being  introduced, 
such  as  gas-works,  water- works,  sewerage,  street- 
cars, and  the  electric  light,  by  which  some  of  the 
principal  sti*eets  and  plazas  are  illuminated. 

Speaking  of  the  telephone,  courtesy  of  intercourse 
must  be  preserved  even  between  invisible  communi- 
cants. The  peremptory  American  method  of  calling 
''  Hello  !  hello  !  Give  me  1235,"  etc.  would  never  do 
in  the  polished  Castilian  tongue,  and  the  unseeming 
vexatiousness  and  petulance  which  the  telephone  seems 
to  provoke  in  Saxon  words,  is  never  allowed  to  obtain 
utterance  here.  The  regular  response  from  the  central 
office  to  a  telephone  call  is  "  Jia«f?e  usted!''  which  is 
equivalent  to  "At  your  command!"  Then  prelimi- 
naries are  gone  through  something  as  follows  :  "  Good- 
morning,  Seiiorita  ;  how  do  you  do?"  "Very  well,  I 
thank  you  ;  what  service  may  I  render  you?"  "  Will 
you  kindly  do  me  the  favor  of  enabling  me  to  speak 
with  Don  So-and-So,  No.  857?"  "  With  much  pleas- 
ure," etc.,  etc.  ;  and  when  the  connection  is  made,  the 
usual  polite  introductories  are  gone  through  before 
proceeding  to  the  business  in  hand. 

It  is  said  that  recent  investigations  show  more 
clearly  that  the  City  of  Mexico  at  the  time  of  the 
Spanish  conquest  was  situated  on  a  small  island  fifteen 


-^AOtt 


4G  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

miles  west  of  the  present  city,  and  connected  with  the 
main-land  by  large  causewa3^s,  composed  of  stones-aud 
earth,  through  the  lake.  The  circuit  of  the  city  meas- 
ured nine  miles.  Monstrous  dykes  kept  the  water  out, 
canals  were  common,  and  business  was  largel}^  conduc- 
ted with  the  aid  of  boats.  The  markets  were  supplied 
with  the  greatest  variety  of  goods  that  could  be  found 
in  any  market  of  the  world  at  that  period.  When 
Cortez  entered  Tenochtitlan  he  was  amazed  at  the 
mammoth  temples,  great  markets,  and  the  evidences 
of  civilization  that  were  found  on  all  sides.  So  much 
for  the  early  history  of  the  city. 

The  principal  street  of  Mexico,  on  or  near  which  are 
its  largest  hotels,  its  finest  stores  and  restaurants,  and 
some  of  its  richest  private  dwellings,  is  Calle  de  San 
Francisco.  In  San  Francisco  Street  are  to  be  found 
some  of  the  most  richly  stocked  stores  in  Mexico,  where, 
despite  the  almost  prohibitory  duties  on  foreign  goods, 
articles  from  every  land  on  earth  are  accumulated. 
Half  way  down  the  street  is  the  principal  hotel,  where 
some  of  the  tourists  found  accommodations.  As  it 
was  once  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  Iturbide,  after 
whom  it  is  named,  it  should  have  something  stately 
about  it ;  and  so  it  has.  There  is  a  high,  sculptured  \1 
doorway  of  an  Aztec  touch^lu^TIesign,  thOuglTTrnt  in  I 
the  details,  and  long,  grotesque  water-spouts  project 
info  the  street.  Within  is  a  large,  arcaded  court,  from 
which  open  cafe  and  billiard-room  —  the  leading  resort 
of  the  golden  youth  of  the  town.  The  office  is  a  dark 
little  box  of  a  place,  with  two  serious  functionaries, 
who  seem  to  receive   the  visitor  only  with  suspicion. 


EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO.  47 

The  gorgeous  and  affable  hotel  clerk  of  northern  lati- 
tude is  unknown  here.  In  the  rear  are  more  courts, 
not  arcaded,  and  around  all  of  these  the  rooms  are 
ranged  in  several  stories. 

We  soon  discover  that  Mexico  is  not  a  gay  city. 
There  are  no  crowds  on  the  sidewalks,  no  eating  of 
ices  in  public.  By  nine  or  ten  o'clock  the  people  seem 
to  have  retired,  perhaps  to  be  up  betimes  in  the  morn- 
ing, for  the  work  of  the  day.  A  military  band  plays 
three  evenings  in  the  week  ;  but  even  these  concerts, 
excepting  on  Sundays,  are  so  sparsely  attended  that 
the  men  seem  discoursing  the  music  for  their  own 
amusement. 

One    never   tires    of   the  street-scenes  in   this   city,  y 
They  combine  the  commonplace,  the  pathetic,  and  the! 
ludicrous;    while  in  the  eyes  of   strangers,  the    novel  I 
overshadows    everything    else.|^    The  peasant's  gait  is 
quick,   and  all  his  movements   active.     Short  in  stat- 
ure and    thick-set,  he  will,  and    often   does,    carry    a 
burden  of  three  hundred  pounds,  and  go  off  with  it  at 
a    jog-trot.      There    are    no    drays.      Three  men,  and 
sometimes  two,  will  carry  a  piano  a    dozen    squares. 
In  truth,  the  ordinary  Mexican  seems  undaunted   by 
tasks  that  would  be  undertaken  by  no  other  man.     A 
crate  of  vegetables  or  fruit  may  be  discerned  jogging 
rapidly  up  some  steep  road,  so  huge  that  the  bearer  is 
quite  invisible. 

On  the  first  evening,  we  went  in  company  to  the 
French  Opera,  where  a  very  fair  representation  was 
given  of  William  Tell,  to  a  very  small  but  select  audi- 
ence.    Returning  from  the    Opera,  we  brought  up  at 


48  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  first  corner  before  a  lantern  on  the  ground,  exactly 
in  the  centre  of  the  intersecting  streets.  "  What  is 
that  for?"  was  the  natural  inquiry.  "That  lantern? 
Oh,  that  is  a  policeman's  lantern.  It  shows  that  he 
is  in  his  place.  Yes,"  looking  around,  "  there  he  is, 
behind  that  lamp-post.  If  he  stirs  so  much  as  to 
walk  up  to  the  middle  of  the  block,  he  must  take  his 
light  with  him  ;  roundsmen  are  always  on  the  watch, 
and  if  lantern  or  man  is  gone  there  is  trouble."  Fur- 
ther observation  showed  that  this  explanation  was  cor- 
rect. Every  corner  had  its  lantern  exactly  in  the  cen- 
tre, and  every  lantern  its  policeman.  Standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  roadway  a  long  line  of  lights  appeared, 
stretching  away  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  compass. 
The  streets  of  Mexico  cross  each  other  exactly  at  right 
angles,  though  each  square  has  its  individual  name. 
The  main  thoroughfare,  from  the  plaza  to  the  Ala- 
meda, has  as  many  names  as  blocks  in  the  third  of  a 
mile  between  the  Iturbide  Hotel  and  the  plaza,  and 
doubtless  as  large  a  number  off  in  the  other  direction. 

The  question  is  often  asked  "  if  the  language  of 
Mexico  is  identical  with  the  Castilian."  We  answer 
in  the  affirmative.  Of  course  there  are  some  slight 
differences  in  pronunciation,  etc.,  but  no  more  than 
exists  between  the  English  and  American  languages. 
For  instance :  in  England  they  call  a  railroad-car  a 
"  carriage,"  the  engineer  a  "  driver,"  the  fireman  a 
"  stoker,"  the  brakeman  a  "  guard,"  the  switch  a 
"  shunt,"  the  track  a  "  line,"  the  baggage,  "  luggage  ;" 
and  yet  the  English  and  the  Americans  are  supposed 
to  speak  the  same  language. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  49 

Friday^  May  9th.  The  visiting  Directors  of  the 
Mexican  Central  Raih'oad  and  their  friends  spent 
this  day,  not  according  to  any  settled  programme, 
but  much  as  their  fancy  dictated.  Until  almost  one 
o'clock  most  of  the  gentlemen  remained  in  the  parlor 
at  Mr.  Camacho's,  and  received  distinguished  visitors. 
Among  those  who  called  upon  them  are  Gen.  Porfirio 
Diaz,  Thomas  Braniff,  Leandro  Fernandez,  Director  of 
the  Asti'onomical  Observatory,  and  many  other  distin- 
guished officials.  In  the  afternoon  a  number  of  the 
gentleman  took  carriages,  drove  over  various  parts  of 
the  city,  and  visited  Chapoltepec. 

Towards  the  west,  on  the  heights  of  Tacubaya  and 
the  plains  of  Tacuba,  where  the  air  is  fresh  and  pure 
and  the  situation  elevated,  the  city  spreads,  and  grows 
more  beautiful  every  day.  Here  reside  many  of  the 
wealthy  ;  and  here  on  the  summit  of  this  peak  is  Cha- 
poltepec, surrounded  by  a  grove  of  magnificent  trees  — 
hoary  cedars  and  cypresses  draped  with  Spanish  moss. 
Chapoltepec  is  historic  ground ;  it  was  built  and  forti- 
fied by  the  first  Montezuma,  whose  gardens  stretched 
for  miles  around  the  base  of  the  hill,  was  occupied  by 
Cortez  and  by  Maximilian,  and  was  captured  by  the 
Americans,  in  1847.  Here  are  secret  under-ground 
passages  used  by  the  old  Aztecs,  and  later  by  the  Span- 
iards ;  and  here  is  the  military  school,  where  three 
hundred  young  men  are  at  present  being  fitted  for  a 
military  career.  Here,  too,  in  the  old  part  of  the 
sti'ucture,  workmen  are  engaged  in  preparing  it  as  a 
summer  palace  for  the-President. 

The  view  from  Chapoltepec  is  magnificent ;  embrac- 


50  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

ing  the  city  and  valley  of  Mexico,  Popocatapetl  and  his 
bride  Iztaccihuatl,  and  the  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  a 
boulevard  two  miles  long  from  Chapoltepec  to  the  city, 
built  by  Maximilian,  and  bordered  by  a  double  row  of 
trees  —  Eucalyptus  and  ash.  This  is  the  fashionable 
drive  of  the  city ;  and  here  the  Mexican  dandy  is 
a  conspicuous  figure,  with  his  heavy  spurs  and 
richly  embroidered  saddle,  his  trousers  and  sombrero 
glistening  with  silver,  and  the  cutlass  and  revolver 
absolutely  indispensable  to  complete  the  display.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  Paseo  is  an  equestrian  statue  of 
Charles  IV.  of  Spain  —  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
bronze  casts  in  the  world.  Other  statues  are  to  be 
placed  at  intervals  along  the  boulevard  ;  that  of  Colum- 
bus, which  is  already  finished,  is  good  work. 

Messrs.  Camacho  and  Fernandez  accompanied  the 
party  to  the  National  Palace,  and  escorted  them 
through  it.  The  senate  chamber,  the  various  recep- 
tion-rooms, the  observatory,  and  different  departments, 
were  all  visited,  and  excited  much  interest.  A  visit 
was  also  paid  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  The  Mex- 
ican President  and  the  military  commandant  of  this 
district  reside  in  the  city  palace.  Its  most  magnifi- 
cent room  is  the  Sala  de  Embajadores  (Embassadors 
Hall),  which  is  310 by  30  feet,  with  a  throne  at  the  end 
for  the  President  and  his  cabinet.  The  walls  are  hung 
with  full-length  portraits,  by  Mexican  artists,  of 
Hidalgo,  Morelos,  and  other  heroes  of  the  War  of 
Independence.  There  is  also  a  large  painting  of  the 
battle  of  Puebla,  which  took  place  May  5,  1862,  and 
portraits  of  Juarez,  Diaz,  and  of  our  own  Washington. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  51 

Messrs.  Lawrie  and  Wilbur,  Directors  of  the  Mexi- 
can Central,  who  had  been  in  the  city  some  days  in 
advance  of  the  party,  General-Manager  Robinson  and 
Superintendent  Mackenzie,  accompanied  various  mem- 
bers of  the  party  on  their  trips  about  the  city.  Quite 
a  number  called  upon  United  States  Minister  Morgan. 

Saturday^  May  10th.  By  daylight,  with  all  its 
right  colors  upon  it,  and  its  normal  stir  of  life  going 
on,  the  famous  capital  is  a  very  different  place  from 
what  it  is  in  the  night.  The  visitor  with  an  eye  for 
the  picturesque  is  charmed  by  a  delicious  feast  of  nov- 
elties, makes  discoveries  on  every  hand,  and  has  the 
pleasure  of  testing  the  value  of  his  own  unaided  con- 
clusions. By  little  and  little,  misapprehensions  are 
shaken  off.  After  the  first  moment  of  disappoint- 
ment we  like  it  better,  and  in  the  end  it  takes  a  power- 
ful hold. 

A  short  walk  from  Hotel  Iturbide  brings  us  to  the 
grand  central  plaza,  in  which  events  of  such  moment 
have  been  transacted.  To  actually  sit  down  upon  a 
bench  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  gaze  comfortably  about  — 
can  it  be  possible?  The  imposing  cathedral  marks 
the  spot  where  once  stood  the  pyramid  of  the  Aztec 
war  god ;  and,  as  if  to  complete  the  triumph  of  the 
Cross,  the  foundations  were  laid  with  the  broken  im- 
ages of  the  Aztec  gods.  These  stones  would  hp  nnk^p- 
deep  with  all  the  blood  of  various  sorts  that  has  been 


spilled  upon  them.  But  it  is  narct  to  conjure  up  im- 
ages of  desperate  conflicts,  though  here  have  been  so 
many,  in  this  bright  sunshine,  with  the  multitude  of 
pretty^  noble  sights. 


f^\ 


52  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

The  cathedral,  like  most  of  the  earlier  architecture, 
is  in  the  Renaissance  style,  somewhat  inclined  to  the 
vagaries  of  rococo.  It  is  saved  from  finicality,  however, 
by  its  great  size  and  massiveness,  except  in  respect  to 
the  terminations  of  its  towers,  which  are  in  the  shape 
of  immense  bells.  Adjoining,  and  forming  a  part  of 
it,  is  a  parish  church,  in  a  rich,  dark  red  volcanic  stone, 
ornamented  with  carvings.  What  a  painting  it  would 
make  on  one  of  the  perfect  moonlight  nights  which 
bring  out  every  line  of  the  sculpture  softly,  and  show 
the  whole  like  a  lovely  vision.  A  magnificent  view  is 
afforded,  from  the  cathedral  towers,  of  the  mountains 
and  surrounding  country.  The  cathedral  was  com- 
pleted in  1G67,  at  a  cost  of  $1,762,000,  and  the  towers 
were  finished  in  1791,  at  an  additional  cost  of 
$194,000. 

The  interior  decorations,  paintings,  furniture,  and 
the  services,  are  artistic  in  character.  They  were ^iui; 
^ported  from  Europe j  and  transported  by  wagons  to 
distances  varying  from  one  hundred  to  six  hundred 
miles,  and  at  a  great  expense.  The  high  altar,  as  well 
as  the  stalls  of  the  choir,  are  beautifully  carved,  the 
former  being  gilded.  Various  notices  invoking  pater- 
nosters or  aves  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of  departed 
friends,  or  soliciting  alms  for  certain  purposes,  are 
printed  on  paper  of  several  colors,  and  posted  on  the 
main  door  of  the  church.  The  vestments  worn  by  the 
priesthood  while  celebrating  high  mass  are  very  costly, 
and  consist  of  silken  robes  heavily  embroidered  with 
gold  and  silver  thread. 

Cemented  into  the  wall  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ca- 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  53 

theclral  is  the  Aztec  calendar-stone,  the  most  remark- 
able piece  of  sculpture  yet  disinterred.  It  consists  of 
a  dark  porphyry,  and  in  its  original  dimensions,  as 
taken  from  the  quarry,  is  computed  to  have  weighed 
nearly  fifty  tons.  It  was  transported  from  the  moun- 
tains beyond  Lake  Chalco,  over  a  broken  country  in- 
tersected by  water-courses  and  canals.  The  fact  that 
so  enormous  a  fragment  of  porphyry  could  be  thus 
safely  carried  for  leagues,  in  the  face  of  such  obsta- 
cles, and  without  the  aid  of  cattle, —  for  the  Aztecs 
had  no  animals  of  draught, —  su^ggeststous  no  mean 
ideas  of  their  mechanical  skill,  and  implies  aTTeo-ree  of 
cultivation  little  inferior  to  that  demanded  for  the 
geometrical  and  astronomical  science  displayed  in  the 
inscription  on  this  very  stone. 

Sculptured  images  were  so  numerous,  that  a  new 
cellar  can  hardly  be  dug,  or  foundation  laid,  without 
turning  up  some  of  the  mouldering,  relics  of  barbaric 
art.  ^  But  they  are  little  heeded,  and,  if  not  wantonly 


"Broke 


)roken  into  pieces  at  once,  are  usually  worked  into  the 
rising  wall  or  supports  of  the  new  edifice.  Two  cele- 
brated bas-reliefs  of  the  last  Montezuma  and  his 
father,  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  in  the  beautiful  groves  of 
Chapoltepec,  were  deliberately  destroyed,  as  late  as 
the  last  century,  by  order  of  the  Government.  The 
monuments  of  the  barbarian  meet  with  as  little  respect 
I  from  civilized  man,  as  those  of  the  civilized  man  from 
the  barbarian\ 

One  day,  when  first  in  Mexico,  Cortez  ascended  to 
the  top  of  the  teocalli  and  Montezuma,  taking  him 
by  the  hand,  pointed  out  to  him  the  various  parts  of 


54  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  city.  lu  like  manner,  let  us  ascend  the  cathedral 
tower  and  look  over  the  self-same  valley,  from  nearly 
the  same  height  and  point  of  view  occupied  by  the 
Spanish  conqueror  and  the  Aztec  emperor.  Elevated 
at  this  height  above  the  plaza,  of  nearly  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet,  the  din  of  the  city  reaches  our  ears  — 
the  hum  of  myriad  voices,  the  patter  of  thousands. of 
feet,  and  the  rattle  of  coach- wheels  over  the  pave- 
ments. Directly  beneath  us  is  the  great  square,  with 
the  smaller  one,  the  zocalo,  or  pleasure  garden,  in  its 
centre.  The  latter  is  a  green  spot  in  this  desert  of 
stone,  its  tall  trees,  shading  marble  walks,  statues, 
fountains,  and  flowers,  beautifully  disposed  about  a 
central  kiosk  used  as  a  music-stand.  The  flower  mar- 
ket, occupying  a  small  iron  building  of  graceful  archi- 
tecture, is  held  here,  and  a  small  octangular  structure 
is  the  despatching  office  of  the  street  railways,  which, 
radiating  in  every  direction,  reaches  every  desirable 
suburb. 

The  tramcars  in  Mexico  are  all  drawn  by  mules,  and 
when  outside  the  city  boundary  the  mules  go  at  a  fierce 
gallop  to  their  destination,  the  fare-collectors  leaping 
on  board  at  a  given  point  of  the  route.  When  as- 
cending a  hill  no  third  mule  is  added,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  horseman,  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  car  at  the 
foot,  urges  the  mules  with  whip  and  voice  up  the  hill 
with  their  burden.  The  conductors  are  smartly  clad  in 
linen  jackets  and  sombreros  of  gray  felt,  and  are  pro- 
vided with  a  horn,  which  they  sound  at  street-crossings, 
or  as  a  signal  to  the  driver  to  pull  up.  There  are  first 
and  second  class  cars,  the  second  class  being  used  by 
the  Indians,  and  are  often  overcrowded. 


EXCUKSION  TO   MEXICO.  55 

Entering  one  of  the  first-class  cars  at  the  plaza,  we 
went  at  a  full  gallop  past  adobe  houses  and  j'^ylqi'-erias, 
the  snow-capped  giant  Popocatapetl  lifting  his  white 
head  to  the  azure,  on  the  right,  and  soon  we  reached 
Guadalupe,  which  is  about  three  miles  east  of  the  city 
of  Mexico.  Through  the  avenue  of  trees  the  little 
church  on  the  hill  Tepeyac,  erected  where  the  Virgin 
is  said  to  have  appeared  to  the  peasant  Juan  Diego,  in 
1531,  and  the  cathedral  at  its  foot,  with  its  flat  facade 
flanked  by  low  towers,  were  both  visible  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  cars  came  to  a  standstill  in  front  of  the 
cathedral.  This  at  one  time  was  very  rich  in  gold  and 
silver  ornaments,  the  offerings  of  the  faithful ;  but 
many  of  these  were  confiscated  and  coined  into  money, 
by  order  of  President  Juarez,  in  1860,  and  have  since 
been  replaced  by  inferior  metal.  There  are,  however, 
at  this  cathedral  some  rare  statues  —  exquisite  wood 
carvings  representing  apostles  and  saints,  so  life-like, 
that  good  authority  pronounced  them  unexcelled  by 
anything  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  the  cathedrals  of 
Europe. 

There  is  here,  also,  a  sulphur  spring,  which  is  said  to 
cure  everything.  The  legend  says  that  this  spring  of 
sulphur  hydrogen  gushed  forth  from  a  spot  touched  by 
one  of  the  Virgin's  feet.  Faithful  pilgrims  coming 
here  from  a  long  distance,  are  often  seen  carrying 
back  in  bottles  some  of  the  water  for  future  use. 

The  Jockey  Club  had  invited  members  of  the  party 
to  visit  the  School  of  Mines,  the  San  Carlos  Academy 
of  Art,  and  the  National  Museum.  They  were  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Thomas  Moran,  representing  his  step- 


56  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

father,  Mr.  Sebastian  Camacho,  and  he  was  unth'ing  in 
his  efforts  to  promote  the  entertainment  of  his  Ameri- 
can friends.  Among  the  other  gentlemen  who,  on  the 
part  of  the  Government  or  in  their  private  capacity 
accompanied  the  party  to  the  public  buildings  referred 
to,  were  Messrs.  Velasco  and  Fernandez,  of  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Works  ;  Francisco  de  Garay,  Fran- 
cisco Soni,  and  Eugenic  Barreiro  of  the  City  Council ; 
and  Mariano  Barcena,  of  the  Meteorological  Observa- 
tory. 

In  the  court-yard  of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  of 
San  Carlos,  our  tourists  were  shown  the  carven  sacri- 
ficial stone  —  a  huge  block  of  jasper,  with  its  upper  sur- 
face somewhat  convex.  On  this  the  prisoner  was 
stretched.  Five  priests  secured  his  head  and  his 
limbs  ;  while  the  sixth,  clad  in  a  scarlet  mantle, —  em- 
blematic of  his  bloody  office, —  dexterously  opened  the 
breast  of  the  wretched  victim  with  a  sharp  razor  of 
itztU^ — a  volcanic  substance,  hard  as  flint, —  and  in- 
serting his  hand  in  the  wound,  tore  out  the  palpitating 
heart.  The  minister  of  death,  first  holding  this  up 
toward  the  sun,  an  object  of  worship  throughout  Ana- 
huac,  cast  it  at  the  feet  of  the  deity  to  whom  the  tem- 
ple was  devoted,  while  the  multitudes  below  prostrated 
themselves  in  humble  adoration. 

In  the  afternoon,  some  members  of  the  party  went 
with  Mr.  Thomas  Moran  to  the  School  for  the  Blind, 
where  a  musical  entertainment  was  given  in  compli- 
ment to  them. 

A  banquet  was  given  in  the  evening  by  the  City 
Council  to  the  President  and  Directors  of  the  Mexican 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  57 

Central  Railway,  at  which  about  one  hundi-ed  and  fifty 
guests  were  present.  The  entrance  to  the  municipal 
palace  and  the  historic  hall  of  the  City  Council  was 
profusely  decorated,  and  thickly  strewn  for  the  occa- 
sion, with  flowers  and  evergreens.  The  banquet-hall 
was  also  splendidly  decorated  with  flowers  and  ban- 
ners,  and  illuminated  by  electric  lights.  The  fra- 
graffce^f  rose-leaves  filled  the  air.  The  tables  were 
lavishly  adorned  with  the  finest  products  of  the  floral 
world,  and  the  banquet  was  luxurious  in  the  extreme, 
including  as  it  did  all  the  rarities  of  the  season,  with 
wines  of  the  finest  vintage.  The  building,  as  well  as 
the  plaza  in  front,  was  lighted  by  electric  lights,  and 
presented  a  very  fine  effect.  A  fine  orchestra  de- 
lighted the  ear  with  exquisite  music,  which  was  only 
interrupted,  when  necessary,  to  listen  to  the  numerous 
toasts  and  speeches  which  were  animated  and  eloquent. 
The  banquet  was  presided  over  by  Senor  Guillermo 
Valle,  the  President  of  the  City  Council.  On  his  right 
sat  ex-President  Diaz,  and  on  his  left  Mr.  William 
•  Rotch,  of  Boston.  Senor  Valle  made  a  speech  con- 
gratulating the  country  on  the  completion  of  the  road. 
He  spoke  substantially  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  happy  conclusion  of  the  iron  road  between  the 
capital  of  Mexico  and  the  Northern  frontier,  has  brought 
into  intimate  contact  two  neighboring  Republics,  the 
mutual  interests  of  which  would  by  this  means  acquire 
prodigious  increase.  This  great  work  of  progress  and 
civilization  demands  from  the  Mexican  people  vivid 
expressions  of  their  appreciation.  For  this  reason  the 
Citv  Council  voted  to  give  this  banquet  to  celebrate 


58  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  memorable  event,  and  to  offer  a  friendly  testimony 
to  Mr.  Nickerson,  to  whose  enterprising  spirit  we  owe 
the  completion  of  this  great  highway,  and  to  his  distin- 
guished companions.  Finally,  I  hope  for  great  felicity 
for  Mexico  and  for  the  United  States,  in  the  develop- 
ment of  commerce  and  industry," 

Much  regret  was  expressed  at  the  absence  of  Mr. 
Nickerson,  who  was  prevented  by  illness  from  attend- 
ing the  banquet.  A  speech  prepared  by  him  for  the 
occasion  was  read  by  Mr.  William  Rotch,  and  imme- 
diately after,  a  translation  in  Spanish  of  the  same 
speech  was  read  by  Senor  Sebastian  Camacho,  the 
Manaoing  Director  of  the  Mexican  Central  Road. 

The  speech  was  substantially  as  follows  :  — 

Honorable  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Mexico  : 

"  "We  are  gathered  here,  by  your  invitation,  to  cele- 
brate the  conclusion  of  the  Trunk  Line  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad  Company,  which  unites  the  cit}^  of 
Mexico  with  the  United  States. 

"  It  is  exactly  one  year  to  a  day,  since  I  visited  this 
city,  and  I  then  promised  that,  if  possible,  by  the  5th 
of  May  just  passed,  the  two  extremes  of  our  Trunk 
Line  would  be  completed  and  united.  At  that  time 
one  end  of  the  road  was  at  Encarnacion,  323  miles 
north  of  this  city,  and  the  other  at  Reforma,  358  miles 
south  of  Paso  del  Norte  —  a  total  of  681  miles  ;  and  it 
gives  me  immense  pleasure  to  say  to  you  at  this  ban- 
quet, that  the  hopes  which  I  then  expressed  have  been 
more  than  realized  by  the  completion,  on  the  8th  of 
last  March,  of  the  531  miles  necessary  to  finish  this 
great  international  line. 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  59 

"lu  the  name  of  the  Company,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
acknowledge  that  the  President  of  the  Republic,  the 
Secretai-y  of  Public  Works,  and  all  the  distinguished 
gentlemen  who  constitute  the  Government  with  whom 
we  have  maintained  constant  relations,  and  who  have 
invariably  insisted  that  we  should  build  a  solid  and 
secure  road,  have  furnished  us  with  all  the  facilities  in 
their  power  to  enable  us  to  accomplish  the  great  work. 
And  now  I  feel  happy  at  being  able  to  congratulate 
this  grand  Republic,  and  this  historical  city,  so  noted 
for  the  many  objects  of  interest  that  are  treasured 
within  its  borders,  for  the  happy  termination  of  more 
than  three  years  of  assiduous  labor  which  has  resulted 
in  the  opening  of  a  new  field  for  enterprise  and  activ- 
ity. How  true  it  is  that  '  Peace  hath  her  victories,  no 
less  renowned  than  war.* 

''The  victory  has  not  been  gained  without  struggle, 
for  it  has  required  the  united  efforts  of  the  Directors 
of  the  Company  and  of  the  representatives  of  this 
Government,  and  also  of  the  Managing  Directors  of  the 
Company  resident  in  Mexico,  in  order  to  conduct  the 
grand  enterprise  to  a  successful  issue. 

"  I  should  not  forget,  in  this  hour  of  triumph,  the  in- 
defatigable labors  of  our  deceased,  but  never-to-be  for- 
gotten friend,  Ramon  G.  Guzman,  who  lent  his  incom- 
parable aid  to  this  Company,  and  whose  death  is  to  all 
of  us  the  loss  of  a  very  dear  friend  and  untiring  co- 
worker. 

"Our  road  is  now  open,  and  in  condition  to  undertake 
the  ti'affic  of  the  country  which  is  tributary  to  the  line  ; 
and  I  have  not  the  •  least  doubt  that,  within  a  short 


60  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

time,  the  Company  will  be  able  to  adapt  itself  to  the 
wants  of  the  people.  It  is  now  in  its  infancy,  and  to 
obtain  the  best  results  for  the  country,  as  well  as  for 
the  road,  it  will  need  the  protection  and  support  of 
this  Government,  and  of  the  people  ;  and  I  am  con- 
vinced that  it  will  be  cheerfully  granted  in  the  future, 
as  in  the  past. 

"  In  behalf  of  my  country  and  of  this  Company,  I  give 
you  hearty  thanks  for  the  generous  and  cordial  recep- 
tion which  you  have  given  to  your  brothers  from  the 
North,  on  this,  their  visit  to  this  country  ;  and  I  enter- 
tain the  hope  that  the  iron  bands  which  now  embrace 
both  countries  will  establish  friendship,  and  make  it 
more  intimate  ;  that  it  will  enable  the  people  to  know 
each  other  better,  and  unite  them  with  indissoluble  ties 
like  brothers,  seeking  the  progress  and  development  of 
the  two  Republics  in  knowledge,  civilization,  and  pros- 
perity." 

A  member  of  the  party  from  Boston,  in  the  name  gf 
his  companions,  was  called  upon,  and  proposed  the 
following  toast  in  Spanish :  — 

"  General  Porfirio  Diaz,  the  illustrious  protector  of 
the  Central  Railroad,  who,  like  Washington,  is  first  in 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

President  Diaz  was  very  much  moved,  and  immedi- 
ately arose  to   reply,  saying  :  — 

"It  is  indeed  a  great  honor  that  has  just  been  con- 
ferred upon  me,  by  placing  my  own  personalty  by  the 
side  of  that  of  Washington,  a  man,  whose  genius  and 
whose  virtues  have  merited  and  still  merit  the  respect, 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  61 

not  only  of  all  American  citizens,  but  that  of  all 
enlightened  nations.  I  feel  compelled,  therefore,  to 
acknowledge  my  gratitude  to  the  author  of  the  toast, 
for  the  good-will  thereby  manifested.  Referring  to  the 
Central  Road,  I  did  not  hesitate,  while  discharging  my 
duties  as  President  of  the  Republic,  to  grant  the  Com- 
pany the  concessions  it  has  required  ;  for  I  was  per- 
suaded the  grantee  possessed  the  decisive  elements  nec- 
essary to  carry  out  the  enterprise  to  a  successful  issue. 
I  acted  under  this  impression,  expecting  that  time 
would  confirm  my  calculations.  The  work  now  accom- 
plished has  demonstrated  that  I  was  not  mistaken,  and 
I  think  it  is  time  now  to  cancel  the  promise,  so  to  speak. 
I  have  listened  with  emotion  to  the  words  expressed 
in  Mr.  Nickerson's  discourse  concerning  the  labors  of 
the  late  Mr.  Ramon  G.  Guzman  ;  and  for  my  part  I 
desire  to  honor  the  memory  of  that  indefatigable  Mex- 
ican who  toiled  so  assiduously  to  urge  the  construction 
of  the  Central  Road,  and  to  endow  his  country  with 
important  material  improvements." 

The  remarks  of  General  Diaz  were  most  enthusiasti- 
cally applauded.  They  were  afterwards  given  in  Eng- 
lish by  General  Frisbie,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Mexico  for  several  years,  and  is  familiar  with  the  Span- 
ish language. 

Ex-Gov.  Rice  made  a  happy  speech,  comparing  the 
luxury  of  journeying  in  Pullman  cars  with  the  former 
modes  of  travel,  and  proclaiming  the  consummation 
of  Humboldt's  prediction  that  the  table-lands  of  Mex- 
ico would  become  the  great  thoroughfare  from  the 
North  to  the  South. 


62  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

Then  arose  the  illustrious  Mexican  patriot,  Mon- 
signor  Eulogio  Gillow,  who  spoke  in  remarkably  good 
English  as  follows  :  — 

''''Gentlemen:  When  I  reflect  on  the  great  work 
that  has  been  done,  when  I  see  our  two  great  coun- 
ti'ies  at  last  united  by  one  of  the  most  powerful  ties 
that  link  human  interests,  I  cannot  but  thank  Provi- 
dence for  allowing,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  difficul- 
ties, such  a  vast  undertaking  to  be  accomplished. 
Mexico,  for  her  material  and  social  welfare,  required 
to  be  in  closer  communication  with  the  rest  of  the 
world,  and  the  North  American  Republic  needed  a 
more  intimate  intercourse  with  her  Southern  neighbor. 

"  The  task  being  now  completed,  the  glorious  future 
lies  before  us.  Let  our  mutual  efforts  remain  united  ; 
let  intelligence  and  manly  energy  continue  to  overrule 
our  actions ;  so  that  the  vast  resources  of  the  two 
counti'ies  may  be  profitable  to  both,  and  the  surplus 
extend  itself  to  the  whole  known  world.  The  North, 
with  her  mechanical  skill  and  inventions,  will  help 
Mexico"  wonderfully  to  develop  her  mineral  and  agri- 
cultural  wealth,  and  combinedDroduction  on  a  vast 
scale  will,  undoubtedly,  bring  about  on  this  immense 
continent  a  commercial  power  in  soroefuture^clay  of 
such  magnitude,  that  it  is  not  easy^to  foretell  what 
will  be  its  financial  and  political  mtluence !  Above 
all,  gentlemen,  the  connection  of  the  two  countries 
will  bring  in  contact  and  friendly  relationship  two 
nations  that  differ  by  their  language,  customs,  and  re- 
ligion.    May  time   unite  them  in   one  spirit — that  of 


EXCUKSION  TO  MEXICO.  63 

combined,  progressive,  and  social  interests ;  and  in  a 
higher  point  of  moral  view  —  that  of  a  most  perfect 
Christian  charity." 

One  of  the  pleasant  featnres  of  the  banquet  was  the 
toast  which  Mr.  Francisco  Bermudez,  Editor  of  the 
Siglo  XIX.,  proposed  to  the  "Press  of  America." 
After  paying  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  effective  work 
which  the  newspapers  of  the  United  States  had  done 
to  place  Mexico  properly  before  the  world,  he  closed 
by  citing,  as  a  bright  example  of  the  press,  the  Boston 
Herald,  which,  with  courage,  intelligence,  and  ability, 
had  ever  stood  by  the  best  interests  of  Mexico.  As 
Mr.  Pulsifer,  one  of  its  proprietors,  was  present,  he 
proposed  a  toast  "  to  the  Boston  Herald,  and  Mr.  R. 
M.  Pulsifer,  its  publisher."  This  was  most  enthusi- 
astically received.  Mr.  Pulsifer  arose,  and  in  a  few 
words  responded  most  pleasantly  to  the  compliment 
paid  his  paper. 

Eloquent  and  enthusiastic  speeches  were  also  made 
by  Messrs.  Prida,  Camacho,  Moran,  and  Friesbie  in 
English,  and  by  Messrs.  Parra,  Valle,  and  others  in 
Spanish,  until  about  midnight,  when  the  guests  left 
the  municipal  palace,  and  retired  to  their  hotels.  The 
lights  were  now  extinguished,  but  the  soft  rays  of  the 
moon  were  much  more  in  harmony  with  our  feelings, 
and  made  a  fitting  close  to  the  evening's  entertain- 
ment. 

Simday,  May  11th.  Immediately  after  breakfast 
the  party  went,  by  invitation,  to  visit  the  house  of  the 


64  EXCURSION  TO   MEXICO. 

late  Mr.  Guzman,  who  was  a  director  in  the  Mexican 
Central  road.  The  house  is  very  near  the  hotel.  We 
were  cordially  received  by  young  Mr.  Guzman,  who 
proceeded  at  once  to  show  us  the  varied  attractions  of 
the  house.  It  is  a  large  stone  building,  occupying  a 
space  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  square,  built 
in  the  usual  Mexican  style,  with  a  patio  in  the  centre. 
In  the  lower  part  are  located  the  stable,  carriage-room, 
and  bathing  conveniences.  Over  these  were  a  succes- 
sion of  parlors,  library,  billiard,  smoking,  dining,  and 
sleeping  rooms,  all  ranged  around  the  open  court  in  the 
centre,  and  all  connected  with  one  another.  A  large 
corridor  overlooking  the  patio^  and  running  all  around 
it,  with  tile  floor,  and  ornamented  with  all  kinds  of 
flowering  plants,  served  the  double  purpose  of  indoor 
garden  and  a  means  of  access  to  all  the  rooms  in  the 
house.  The  various  rooms  were  very  elegantly  fur- 
nished, and  most  of  them  contained  furniture  imported 
from  Paris. 

In  the  forenoon  a  number  attended  the  Union  Prot- 
estant Church,  where  they  listened  to  a  sermon  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  F.  A.  Noble,  of  the  Union  Park  Con- 
gregational Church,  Chicago.  Others  went  to  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  where  the  service  was  read  in 
Spanish  by  a  Mexican  clergyman.  A  visit  was  also 
paid  to  the  Cathedral. 

Several  of  the  party  went  down  the  canal  in  boats, 
and  inspected  the  floating  gardens  — chinampas,  as  they 
were  called  by  the  Aztecs.  These  had  their  origin  in 
the  detached  masses  of  earth,  which,  loosening  from 
the  shores,  were  still  held  together  by  the  fibrous  roots 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  65 

with  which  they  were  penetrated.  The  primitive  Az- 
tecs, in  theii'  poverty  of  land,  availed  themselves  of 
the  hint  thus  afforded  by  nature.  They  constructed 
rafts  of  reeds,  rushes,  and  other  fibrous  materials, 
which,  tightly  knit  together,  formed  a  sufficient  basis 
for  the  sediment  that  they  drew  up  from  the  bottom 
of  the  lake.  Gradually  islands  were  formed,  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  in  length  and  three  or  four  feet  in 
depth,  with  a  rich,  stimulated  soil,  on  which  the  eco- 
nomical Indian  raised  his  vegetables  and  flowers  for 
the  markets.  Some  of  these  chinampas  were  even  firm 
enough  to  allow  the  growth  of  small  trees,  and  to 
sustain  a  hut  for  the  residence  of  the  person  who 
had  charge  of  it ;  who,  with  a  long  pole  resting  on 
the  bottom  of  the  shallow  basin,  could  change  the 
position  of  his  little  territory  at  pleasure,  which,  with 
its  rich  freight  of  vegetable  stores,  was  seen  moving 
like  some  enchanted  island  over  the  water. 

At  two  o'clock  a  special  car,  on  the  line  leading  to 
the  Peralvillo  Race-course,  conveyed  a  large  part  of  the 
American  visitors  to  the  grounds,  where  a  special  pro- 
gramme had  been  prepared  for  them  by  the  Jockey 
Club.  The  day  was  a  beautiful  one,  and  the  grounds 
presented  a  very  attractive  appearance.  There  was  a 
large  attendance,  and  the  many  brightly-dressed  ladies 
who  were  present  added  to  the  effect  of  the  scene. 

Going  to  a  race  on  Sunday  was  not  just  in  accord- 
ance with  the  fixed  principles  of  most  of  the  gentlemen 
from  New  England,  but  they  consoled  themselves  with 
the  reflection  that  when  in  Mexico  they  were  Mexicans  ; 
and  therefore,  as  the  races  seemed  to  atti'act  the  better 


66  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

class  of  Mexicans,  they  concluded  to  lay  aside  their 
scruples  and  be  present  for  the  once.  The  races  were 
flat,  excepting  the  steeple-chase.  There  were  from 
four  to  six  entries  in  each  race. 

After  the  race,  which  excited  much  applause,  came 
what  was  a  decided  novelty  to  the  visitors.  About 
five  hundred  yards  of  the  race-track  in  front  of  the 
grand  stand  was  fenced  in.  Six  or  eight  horsemen 
with  lassoes  took  their  position  inside  this  enclosure, 
and  near  to  where  a  gate  opened  into  it  from  a  small 
yard  which  contained  a  number  of  bulls.  These  ani- 
mals were  let  into  the  race-course  one  by  one,  and  then 
a  pair  of  horsemen,  with  loud  shouts,  would  run  after 
the  frightened  beasts,  which  would  invariably  rush 
into  another  small  yard  at  the  farther  end.  The  horse- 
men would  clutch  frantically  for  the  tail  of  the  bull, 
and  throw  the  creature  down  by  a  sudden  twist.  This 
sport  attracted  attention  for  about  an  hour ;  then  a 
number  of  wild  horses  were  let  loose  on  the  race-track, 
and  the  men  with  the  lassoes  demonstrated  how  expertly 
they  could  capture  the  animals.  It  was  six  o'clock 
when  the  party  returned  to  the  Cafe  Anglais  for  sup- 
per. 

Notwithstanding  the  scruples  above  alluded  to,  there 
was  no  lack  of  expressions  of  regret  on  the  part  of 
others,  that  they  did  not  improve  perhaps  their  only 
opportunity  to  witness  a  Mexican  bull-fight ;  for  there 
was  a  bull-fight  that  same  afternoon  at  Huizachal,  a 
small  town  a  few  miles  only  from  Mexico,  with  which 
it  is  connected  by  street-cars.  Two  gentlemen  only 
of  the  party  were  by  fortunate  circumstances  enabled 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  67 

to  see  this.  So  much  has  already  been  written  upon 
this  peculiar  sport  of  the  Spaniards,  that  we  abstain 
from  giving  a  full  account  of  the  fight.  We  cannot, 
however,  refrain  from  saying  that,  admitting  the 
numerous  objections  to  the  brutal  tendencies  exhibited 
thi'oughout  the  different  stages  of  the  game,  there  was, 
nevertheless,  much  to  admire  in  the  hardihood  and 
agility  which  was  displayed  by  the  men,  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  with  so  much  ease  and  grace  that  the 
spectator  forgets  the  peril,  and  is  sensible  only  of  the 
amusement.  Bull-fights,  or  funcion  de  toros,  usually 
take  place  on  Sunday  afternoons.  They  are  forbidden 
by  law  within  the  city  limits  of  Mexico. 

Monday^  May  12th.  Another  banquet  was  this  day 
given  at  the  Trivoli  Garden  of  San  Cosme,  by  Minis- 
ter Pacheco,  of  the  Department  of  Public  "Works 
(fomento),  which  was  equally  charming.  The  Garden, 
situated  on  the  outskirts  of  the  capital,  is  one  of  those 
earthly  paradises  which  the  favorable  climate  of  Mex- 
ico permits  man  to  establish.  At  this  banquet  were 
gathered  many  of  the  most  illustinous  men  of  the  repub- 
lic. President  Nickerson  sat  by  the  side  of  General 
Diaz,  opposite  whom  was  General  Pacheco,  shot  all  to 
pieces  in  the  war  with  the  French.  This  old  hero  is 
minus  an  arm  and  a  leg,  and  is  maimed  and  crippled 
in  a  manner  to  have  daunted  any  less  intrepid  spirit. 
He  has  been  a  warm  friend  of  the  new  railway  enter- 
prise here,  and  has  the  confidence  of  the  Americaus  to 
a  marked  extent. 

Among    other   distinguished    Mexicans    were    Gov. 


Q8  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

Torres,  of  Sonora  ;  Senor  Guillermo  Valle,  president  of 
the  City  Government ;  Senator  Rubio ;  Mr.  James 
Sullivan,  of  the  Mexican  National  Railway  ;  Francisco 
Bermudez,  the  Nestor  of  the  Mexican  Press,  and  a 
publicist  who  has  always  been  a  strong  friend  of  Amer- 
ican enterprises  here  ;  Editor  Torres,  of  the  famous 
Monitor  Republicano,  the  fearless  critic  of  men  in  high 
station.  In  all,  some  fifty  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
capital  were  present.  General  Manager  D.  B.  Rob- 
inson, of  the  Central  Road,  who  has  great  reputation 
here  for  ability  and  railway  generalship,  was  also  pres- 
ent. The  speeches  were  full  of  friendly  sentiment 
toward  the  Central  Road  and  the  other  American  en- 
terprises of  like  nature  on  Mexican  soil. 

The  banqueting-hall  was  profusely  decorated  with 
flowers  ;  and  during  the  festivities  music  was  furnished 
by  two  of  the  most  famous  military  bands  of  the 
country,  and  national  airs  of  Mexico  and  the  United 
States  were  sweetly  blended.  General  Pacheco  was 
the  first  who  arose  to  speak.  He  recited  the  difficul- 
ties under  which  Mexico  has  labored  since  her  inde- 
pendence until  the  advent  of  General  Diaz,  to  whom 
is  due  the  honor  of  initiating  the  new  era  in  the 
country.  He  praised  the  faith  which  had  impelled  the 
Boston  capitalists  to  invest  their  money  here.  He  re- 
ferred to  the  past  as  a  guarantee  for  the  future  protec- 
tion which  the  Government  would  afford  the  railway. 
He  concluded  by  proposing  the  health  of  President 
Nickerson  and  his  companions.  He  was  warmly 
applauded.  General  John  B.  Frisbie  read  the  English 
translation  of  General  Pacheco's  remarks,  after  which 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  69 

President  Nickerson  arose.  He  was  received  with 
great  applause,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  he  said  that 
he  had  prepared  a  few  remarks  for  the  occasion,  but 
the  state  of  his  health  prevented  his  presenting  them. 
He  had  therefore  entrusted  the  delivery  of  the  same  to 
Mr.  William  Rotch,  who  accordingly  arose  and  read 
the  following :  — 

*'  To  the  Honorable  General  Carlos  Pacheco,  Minister 
of  Public   Works,  and  Gentlemen :  — 

*'  We  are  assembled  here  to-day,  upon  your  very  kind 
invitation,  to  congratulate  each  other  upon  the  happy 
completion  of  the  main  line  of  the  Company,  which 
now  unites  our  two  republics.  It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  recognize  the  honorable  gentleman  who 
presides  at  this  banquet,  as  an  officer  of  his  Govern- 
ment, who,  while  always  making  it  his  first  duty  to 
be  faithful  and  loyal  to  his  country,  has  shown  a 
readiness  at  all  times  to  render  to  this  Company  all 
possible  aid  in  the  prosecution  of  its  work. 

"  Allow  me,  esteemed  sir,  to  thank  3^ou  personally  for 
all  the  aid  and  encouragement  you  have  so  kindly  ex- 
tended to  this  Company  in  the  past.  While  congratu- 
lating ourselves  upon  our  past  work,  let  us  look  a  little 
into  the  future  of  the  country  and  the  railway.  In  this 
connection,  pardon  me  for  alluding  to  the  violent  at- 
tacks which  have  been  recently  made  upon  the  prop- 
erty by  lawless  men. 

"  While  the  Company  is  responsible  for  the  safety  of 
its  passengers,  it  is  powerless  to  protect  itself  from  the 
attacks  of  such  men,  and  we  can  only  appeal  to  the 


70  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

laws  of  Mexico,  without  doubt  that  eveiT  effort  will  be 
made  to  guard  and  protect  our  road  and  its  patrons. 
However,  even  this  dark  cloud,  which  has  greatly  dis- 
turbed our  General  Manager,  has  its  silver  lining. 

"It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  for  the  past  three  years 
the  correspondents  of  the  press  of  Mexico,  the  United 
States,  and  Europe  have  written  many  articles  upon 
the  resources  of  this  great  country  —  your  mines,  agri- 
culture, and  manufactures  of  every  kind ;  but  to  my 
mind  they  have  overlooked  the  great  value  of  your 
abundant  labor.  In  looking  over  your  couutiy,  we 
are  astonished  at  the  millions  of  hardy  laboring-men 
in  your  midst  —  men  of  vigor  and  strength,  inured  to 
hardships  from  their  birth,  patient  in  their  labor,  who 
form  one  of  the  most  efficient  sources  to  which  you 
must  look  for  the  development  of  your  country.  Of 
what  value  are  mines  and  other  resources  without  the 
hand  of  labor  to  develop  and  make  them  serviceable 
to  the  country  and  the  world?  In  this  vast  number  of 
laborers  we  find  the  silver  lining  to  the  cloud.  To-day 
some  of  them  think  they  see  in  the  railway  an  enemy 
to  their  interests,  but  they  will  soon  come  to  realize  in 
it  a  friend  and  benefactor  to  themselves  and  their  fam- 
ilies. 
/^^  ' '  Mexico  now  has  the  three  elements  of  success  :  her 
I  own  natural  resources,  the  necessary  labor  for  their 
1  full  development,  and  the  railway  to  transport  her 
j  products  to  the  markets  of  the  world ;  and  when 
M?hese  elements  have  found  their  proper  relations, 
there  remains  no  obstruction  in  the  path  of  her  prog- 
ress and  prosperity.     Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  71 

very  kind  and  agreeable  reception  you  have  extended 
to  our  people  at  this  time,  and  assure  you  that  we  shall 
take  to  our  homes  the  most  agreeable  recollections  of 
this  occasion." 

Mr.  Sebastian  Camacho  read  the  translation  in  Span- 
ish of  the  above.  Then  arose  Mr.  Louis  Mendez,  who 
made  a  few  remarks.  He  traced  the  history  of  rail- 
roads in  Mexico,  and  congratulated  the  Government 
upon  having  so  energetic  and  public-spirited  a  man 
as  General  Pacheco  in  the  Department  of  Public 
Works. 

Mr.  Gonzalo  A.  Esteva  made  a  very  eloquent  speech. 
He  welcomed  the  visiting  party,  and  said  that  the  hos- 
pitality of  Mexicans  would  always  prompt  them  to 
welcome  such  distinguished  visitors  ;  yet  when  they 
remembered  the  magnificent  receptions  given  General 
Diaz  in  the  United  States  last  year,  it  afforded  all 
Mexicans  pleasure  to,  in  part,  reciprocate  those  court- 
esies. He  closed  by  proposing  a  toast  to  "the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,"  which  was  enthusiasti- 
cally received. 

Mr.  F.  R.  Guernsey,  of  the  Boston  Herald^  responded 
to  a  toast,  "The  Press,"  using  the  "  Castilian  "  as  a 
means  of  expressing  himself.  He  said:  "I  am  but 
an  humble  servant  of  the  Press,  which,  like  the  loco- 
motive, is  a  powerful  agent  of  civilization.  We  of 
the  United  States  of  the  North  have  enjoyed  every 
moment  of  our  stay  here,  in  the  land  whose  earlier 
history  is  embodied  in  the  romantic  pages  of  Prescott. 
In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  offer  you  the  sentiment.  Viva 


72  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  republic  of  Mexico,  the  hero  Pacheco,  and  the 
great  statesman, —  the  Washington  of  his  country,  the 
illustrious  warrior, —  General  Porfirio  Diaz." 

Mr.  Sebastian  Camacho  spoke  eloquently.  He  said 
that  in  celebrating  the  completion  of  the  Trunk  Line 
which  unites  Mexico  with  the  United  States,  he  would 
devote  above  all  a  few  words  to  the  memory  of  Mr. 
Ramon  G.  Guzman,  who  contributed  so  largely  to  the 
successful  completion  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railway. 
After  paying  a  glowing  tribute  to  Mr.  Guzman's  mem- 
ory, he  did  full  justice  to  the  American  capitalists  who 
had  invested  their  money  in  the  great  enterprise,  and 
to  the  Mexican  Government,  which  has  co-operated  so 
generously  in  the  great  work. 

An  informal  meeting  was  this  afternoon  held  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Camacho,  and  the  party  decided  to  start 
on  their  return  trip,  Wednesday  next.  May  14th,  at  3 
p.  M.  The  Directors  of  the  Central  Railway  sent  out 
invitations  to  the  members  of  the  City  Government 
and  other  distinguished  gentlemen  of  the  city  to  come 
and  inspect  the  Pullman  Buffet  cars,  which  brought 
the  excursionists  from  Boston  to  the  city  of  Mexico, 
and  which  represent  those  which  are  attached  to  each 
regular  train  between  this  city  and  Paso  del  Norte. 

In  the  evening  the  visitors  called  on  General  and 
Mrs.  Diaz,  and  they  were  cordially  received.  Ex- 
Gov.  Rice  made  a  few  remarks  in  his  happy  style, 
and,  in  behalf  of  President  Nickerson,  thanked  Gen- 
eral Diaz  for  his  many  services  to  the  road,  and 
assured  him  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  the  American  people.     General  Diaz,  in  eloquent 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  73 

terms,  acknowledged  his  pleasure,  and  gave  assurances 
that  the  Government  would  do  everything  in  its  power 
to  assist  the  road,  and  prevent  recurrences  of  the 
attacks  which  have  been  recently  made  on  the  road 
by  bandits. 

Tuesday,  May  13th.  The  tourists  spent  this  day  as 
their  fancy  dictated.  Some  called  upon  United  States 
Minister  Morgan.  A  number  took  dinner  in  the  sub- 
urbs, by  special  invitation.  Others  went  in  quest  of 
feather-work  and  silver  jewelry,  for  which  Mexico  has 
been  noted  from  time  immemorial.  Prescott,  speaking 
of  the  mechanical  arts  of  the  Aztecs  at  the  time  of  the 
conquest,  says  :  "  They  cast,  also,  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver,  carving  them  with  their  metallic  chisels  in  a 
very  delicate  manner.  Some  of  the  silver  vases  were 
so  large  that  a  man  could  not  encircle  them  with  his 
arms.  They  imitated  very  nicely  the  figures  of  ani- 
mals, and,  what  was  extraordinary,  could  mix  the 
metals  in  such  a  manner  that  the  feathers  of  a  bird,  or 
the  scales  of  a  fish,  should  be  alternately  of  gold  and 
silver.  The  Spanish  goldsmiths  admitted  their  superi- 
ority over  themselves  in  these  ingenious  works." 
"  They  could  also  enamel  and  make  birds  and  animals, 
with  movable  wings  and  limbs,  in  a  most  curious 
fashion,"  says  Herrera. 

Referring  to  feather- work,  Prescott  says:  "  But  the 
art  in  which  the  Aztecs  most  delighted  was  their  plum- 
age, or  feather-work.  With  this  they  would  produce 
all  the  effect  of  a  beautiful  mosaic.  The  gorgeous 
plumage  of  the  ti'opical  birds,  especially  of  the  parrot 


^ 


74  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

tribe,  afforded  every  variety  of  color ;  and  the  fine 
down  of  the  humming-bird,  which  revelled  in  swarms 
among  the  honey-suckle  bowers  of  Mexico,  supplied 
them  with  soft,  aerial  tints  that  gave  an  exquisite  finish 
to  the  picture.  The  feathers,  pasted  on  a  fine  cotton 
web,  were  wrought  into  dresses  for  the  wealthy,  hang- 
ings for  apartments,  and  ornaments  for  the  temples. 
No  one  of  the  American  fabrics  excited  such  admira- 
tion in  Europe,  whither  numerous  specimens  were  sent 
by  the  Conquerors." 

Another  extensive  industry  of  Mexico  is  furnished 
by  the  maguey  plant  (Agave  Americana).  Prescott 
says  in  relation  to  this:  "The  miracle  of  nature  was 
the  great  Mexican  aloe,  or  maguey,  whose  clustering 
pyramids  of  flowers,  towering  above  their  dark  coro- 
nals of  leaves,  were  seen  sprinkled  over  many  a  broad 
acre  of  the  tableland.  Its  bruised  leaves  afforded  a 
paste  from  which  paper  was  manufactured ;  its  juice 
was  fermented  into  an  intoxicating  beverage,  pulque, 
of  which  the  natives  to .  this  day  are  excessively  fond  ; 
its  leaves  further  supplied  an  impenetrable  thatch  for 
the  more  humble  dwellings ;  thread,  of  which  coarse 
stuffs  were  made,  and  strong  cords,  were  drawn  from 
its  tough  and  twisted  fibres  ;  pins  and  needles  were 
made  of  the  thorns  at  the  extremity  of  the  leaves  ;  and 
the  root,  when  properly  cooked,  was  converted  into  a 
palatable  and  nutritious  food.  The  maguey,  in  short, 
was  meat,  drink,  clothing,  and  writing-materials  for 
the  Aztecs !  Surely,  never  did  nature  enclose  in  so 
compact  a  form  so  many  of  the  elements  of  human 
comfort  ana  civilization  !  "  ^ 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  75 

Pulque  is  the  fermented  sap,  as  we  have  seen,  and 
is  extracted  from  the  heart  of  the  plant.  A  single 
maguey  plant,  when  it  is  fit  for  milking,  will  yield  over 
a  gallon  of  sap  per  day  for  about  three  months.  It  is 
of  a  milk-white  appearance.  It  has  a  sourish  taste, 
and  just  a  suspicion  of  spirituous  flavor.  The  taste 
for  it  is  an  acquired  one.  It  is  wholesome,  and  many 
people  drink  it  for  the  sake  of  their  health,  but  the 
great  majority  imbibe  it  solely  for  the  sake  of  the 
pulque.  The  abundance  of  juice  that  may  be  extracted 
from  a  single  plant  is  so  much  the  more  astonishing  as 
the  maguey  plantations  are  in  the  most  arid  ground, 
and  frequently  on  banks  of  rocks  hardly  covered  with 
soil.  Humboldt  says  the  cultivation  of  the  maguey  has 
real  advantage  over  the  cultivation  of  maize,  grain, 
and  potatoes.  The  plant,  with  firm  and  vigorous 
leaves,  is  neither  affected  by  drought  nor  by  heat,  nor 
by  occasional  severe  frosts,  which  destroy  the  less 
hardy  crops.  One  has  to  be  very  careful  when  going 
into  a  maguey  field,  on  account  of  the  scimitar-blade- 
shaped  leaves  of  the  plant,  which  stand  in  some  por- 
tions of  the  ground  as  high  as  ten  and  fifteen  feet,  with 
baj^onet-like  thorns  confronting  one  on  all  sides. 

Wednesday^  May  14th.  The  following  announce- 
ment, which  we  find  this  morning  in  several  of  the 
newspapers  of  the  city,  and  in  various  languages,  will 
at  least  show  that  the  interests  of  the  "Arkwright 
Club  "  have  not  been  neglected  during  the  short  time 
we  have  been  permitted  to  remain  in  this  metropolis  :  — 

"An  association  of  American  manufacturers,  repre- 


76  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

senting  the  leading  textile  interests  of  the  United 
States,  were  invited  by  the  officers  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad,  on  the  occasion  of  the  completion  of 
that  road  to  the  Mexican  capital,  to  send  a  representa- 
tion of  their  products,  with  a  view  to  further  promoting 
commercial  intercourse  between  the  two  republics.  In 
accordance  with  this  invitation,  samples  of  such  prod- 
ucts are  placed  on  exhibition  for  one  month  in  the 
warehouse  of  Messrs.  Watson,  Phillips  &  Co.,  No.  10 
Calle  de  Don  Juan  Manuel,  where  all  information 
respecting  them  will  be  cheerfully  given.  Any  citizens, 
and  especially  merchants  and  dealers,  are  cordially 
invited  to  inspect  these  goods,  in  the  belief  that  careful 
examination  will  convince  all  parties  that  the  progress 
made  by  American  manufacturers  has  not  been  excelled 
by  European  producers  of  similar  articles." 

This  morning,  leave-taking  calls  were  made  on 
President  Gonzalez  and  General  Pacheco.  After  din- 
ner the  party  returned  to  the  station,  and  found  their 
Buffet  cars  waiting  to  take  them  home.  Fortunately 
it  was  not  necessary  to  destroy  the  means  for  retreat 
by  following  the  example  of  Cortez,  who,  for  fear  that 
on  any  occasion  of  disgust  or  disappointment  the  men 
might  falter  in  purpose,  get  possession  of  the  vessels 
and  abandon  the  enterprise,  came  to  the  daring  res- 
olution to  destroy  the  fleet  without  the  knowledge  of 
his  army.  This  was  not  our  experience.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  same  cars  that  carrird  us  to  Mexico,  with 
their  respective  porters,  who  now  gi'eeted  us  like  old 
friends,  were  there  ready  to  take  us  back  to  Boston. 

The  resources  of  the  Buffet  cars  were  very  severely 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  77 

taxed  for  an  hour  before  leaviDg  the  station,  during 
the  informal  reception  which  was  tendered  to  our  Mex- 
can  friends ;  but  they  were  fully  able  to  supply  every 
demand.  At  3.30  p.  m.  we  bade  farewell  to  our 
friends,  and  quietly  rolled  out  of  the  station,  bound 
towards  home.  Our  party  is  now  increased  by  the 
addition  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  President  Nickerson,  Mr. 
Lawrie,  Mr.  Wilbur  —  both  Directors  in  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad, — General  Manager  Robinson,  Mr. 
Thomas  Moran,  and  Mr.  Charles  C.  Blodgett. 

Mexican  crowds  afford  a  curiously  interesting  study 
for  American  visitors.  The  first  thing  that  strikes  one 
is  the  absence  of  jostling,  and  the  regard  for  the  rights 
of  every  one  by  every  one.  There  is  no  loud  or  bois- 
terous talk.  Women  may  walk  the  most  densely 
crowded  streets  of  the  city  with  greater  certainty  of 
immunity  from  insult,  than  in  Boston  or  New  York. 
A  deferential  courtesy  is  the  rule  here.  The  com- 
monest peons  lift  their  hats  to  one  another.  Whatever  ,, 
infirmities  of  temper  or  character  the  Mexican  people  u<^ 
may  possess,! their  street-manners  are  a  model  for  us.  jO  '*^'\\; 

It  is  commonly  asserted  that  the  lower  classes  of  the  /t?** 
Mexican  people  are  not  honest ;  that  they  will  commit 
theft  at  every  opportunity.  But  the  Americans  long 
resident  here  say  that  they  find  theii^  s^fy;^.|]t{=^  ^yaifhfnl 
to  their  trust.  That  the  peon  of  the  street  is  likely  to 
walk  bit  witn  any  stray  article  which  may  come  in  his 
way,  is  true  ;  but  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  these  poor 
people  labor  under  extraordinary  temptations.  They 
are  bitterly  poor,  and  the  smallest  trifle  looks  very 
large  to  men  and  women  who  subsist  on  ten  cents  a 


78  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

day.  The  peon  class  must,  nevertheless,  be  the  bulwark 
of  Mexico.  Industrious,  temperate,  working  uncom- 
plainingly at  the  most  menial  and  hardest  task,  cheer- 
ful, kindly  to  one  another,  the  despised  peon  will  yet 
become  the  foundation  of  the  future  great  nation. 

Cafe  life  is  a  feature  of  the  metropolis.  The  restau- 
rants are  decorated  with  mirrors  in  the  French  style, 
and  the  food  is  both  good  and  cheap.  Good  table 
board  is  provided  at  several  places  at  one  dollar  per 
day.  The  bread  commonly  eaten  is  a  little,  elongated, 
hard-crusted  biscuit,  apt  to  be  a  trifle  sour  within. 
The  water  is  bad  ;  the  wine  universally  good,  and  often 
superior.  The  meats  are  fairly  good,  and  a  small  but 
well-cooked  beefsteak  can  be  obtained  for  twenty-five 
cents.  The  coffee,  w^hich  is  of  native  growth,  is  pala- 
table. As  regards  the  chocolate  which  is  largely  drunk 
here,  it  would  be  hard  to  speak  in  sufficient  terms  of 
commendation.  With  a  bun,  called  ''pan  dulce,"  and 
a  cup  of  chocolate,  the  Mexican  gentleman  makes  a 
comfortable  "  desayuno,''  or  first  meal  at  his  cafe.  A 
cup  of  chocolate,  a  pari  didce,  and  an  excellent  omelet, 
costs  just  thirty-seven  and  one-half  cents.  Rents  are 
high  in  Mexico,  but  food  is  cheap.  The  abundance  of 
fruit  is  a  feature  of  the  Mexican  table.  Every  one  eats 
a  great  quantity  of  fruit  —  oranges,  mangoes,  melons, 
apricots,  peaches,  bananas,  etc.  Sweets  of  every  pos- 
sible flavor  are  universally  eaten.  Many  of  the  dulces 
made  by  the  peons  are  sold  under  their  straw-canopied 
stands ;  and  they  are  not  only  sold  very  cheap,  but  are 
also  delicious. 

The  city  of  Mexico  cannot  be  hastily  "done,"  and 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  79 

therefore  this  cursory  sketch  can  only  give  a  faint  idea. 
It  abounds  in  surprises,  and  cultivated  and  travelled 
Americans  long  resident  here  are  continually  finding 
new  places  of  interest  for  exploration  and  investiga- 
tion. Mexico  is  very  old,  and  it  has  not  yet  become 
modernized.  Although  this  capital  has  a  distinctly 
metropolitan  air,  it  still  has  a  flavor  of  antiquity  about 
it,  and  is  as  full  of  romance  as  some  of  the  most  noted 
places  of  Europe.  Manners  and  customs,  language, 
architecture,  street-scenes  —  all  are  full  of  |  novelty.] 
The  visitor  feels  as  if  he  were  a  participant  in  some 
operatic  scene, so  utterly  foreign  is  everything:  streets 
thronged  with  picturesque  figures  in  brightly  colored 
serapes;  water-carriers,  with  their  jars  lashed  to  their 
heads  ;  soldiers  ;  bands  of  music  ;  houses  built  as  strong 
as  castles  ;  mountains  looming  up  at  the  end  of  every 
street ;  and  over  all,  dominating  all,  the  twin  volcanoes, 
crowned  with  never-melting  snow,  gilded  by  the 
morning  sun,  and  tinted  with  rosy  pink  at  evening 
—  this  is  the  city  of  Mexico. 

There  is  probably  no  man  in  Mexico  who  grasps 
more  intelligently  the  great  problems  which  confront 
his  nation,  than  does  General  Diaz.,  Cherishing  a  pro- 
found desire  to  receive  the  applause  of  foreign  nations 
by  aiding  the  rise  of  his  country  m  the  scale  of  civiliza- 
tioiTTTionorably  ambitious,  proud  of  his  nationality, 
firm  as  a  ruler,  and  just  in  the  application  of  the  law, 
he  may  be  truly  said  to  be  the  ^^  hope  of  Mexico."  ^e 
hUb-,  by  hiarriage  into  one  of  the  old  governing  families 
of  the  country,  secured  the  alliance  of  a  powerful  class  ; 
but  at  the  same  time  he  has  retained  the  sympathy  of 


80  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

the  common  people  from  whom  he  sprang.  He  is  the 
most  popular  man  in  Mexico.  He  is  not  faultless,  but 
he  lives  up  to  the  light  of  his  knowledge,  and  has  the 
iron  hand  under  the  velvet  glove  which  is  needed  to 
manage  the  helm  of  the  Mexican  ship  of  State. 

General  Diaz  discerns  the  vast  social  revolution 
which  has  been  started  in  his  country.  He  sees  clearly 
what  the  new  railways  mean  ;  he  knows  that  they  mean 
the  intercourse  of  Mexicans  with  men  of  Northern  civ- 
ilizations, comparisons  of  institutions,  the  introduction 
of  new  methods  in  the  arts,  the  quickening  of  the  aspi- 
rations of  the  lower  classes  for  education,  and  a  pres- 
sure of  modern  ideas  on  the  higher  classes  too  powerful 
to  be  resisted.  The  adjustment  of  the  masses  of  the 
Mexican  people  to  the  new  condition  of  things  will  nat- 
urally and  inevitably  be  attended  with  some  friction. 
We  must  be  patient  with  Mexico,  but  the  result  may 
be  looked  for  with  confidence.  A  certain  section  of 
the  American  press  is  inclined  to  treat  our  sister  nation 
Nvith  undeserved  contempt.  Her  local  disturbances  are 
grossly  exaggerated ;  her  public  men  are  given  no 
credit  for  a  particle  of  disinterestedness  ;  and  epithets 
are  employed  in  a  manner  which  must  irritate  a  proud- 
spirited people. 

The  safety  of  the  new  regime  in  Mexico  lies  in  the 
elevation  of  the  lower  classes.  The  people  desire 
peace  to  continue.  They  have  already  had  a  taste 
of  the  delights  of  tranquility,  and  they  want  no  more 
wars.  With  four  more  years  of  peace  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  General  Diaz,  we  may  hope  never 
asain  to  hear  of  revolution  in  Mexico. 


r 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO,  81 

The  Mexican  people  have  grasped  the  abstract  idea  |    J 
of  liberty,  but  they  have  not  yet  secured  the  practical  I  ^ 
realization  of  popular  freedom.     That  realization  will  \    ^ 
come.      Education    and   the   railways  will   develop   a  I    t 
middle  class  ;  the  poverty  of  the  masses  will  be  amelio-   1    | 
rated ;  popular  elections  will  be  something  more  than    \   0 
a  form  ;    a  true  system  of  local  representation  in  con-        9 
gress  will  be  obtained  ;   the  army  will  cease  to  be  the        (f\ 
chief  power  in  the  State ;  and  Mexico  will  become  in        a 
reality  a  republic.     The  patience  of  friendly  and  sym-         a 
pathizing   nations  will,  before  this  result  is  attained, 
be  often  tried,  perhaps  ;  but  no  true  American  can  help 
entertaining  a  profound  sympathy  for  a  sister  nation 
working  out  for  herself  the  great  problem  of  self-gov- 
ernment. 

These  were  some  of  the  reflections  which  forced 
themselves  upon  the  mind  of  each  one  of  the  party 
as  he  resumed  the  inactive  state,  once  more,  as  a  pas- 
senger in  one  or  the  other  of  the  Buffet  cars,  while 
leaving  the  old  city  of  Mexico  for  home. 

Thursday,  May  loth.  The  train  stopped  at  San 
Juan  del  Rio  for  the  night,  and  started  again  early 
this  morning,  reaching  Queretaro  at  about  8.30  a.  m. 
An  opportunity  was  now  given  the  party  to  visit  the 
famous  Hercules  Mills.  Don  Cayetano  Rubio,  the 
present  manager  of  this  vast  establishment,  himself 
met  us  at  the  station,  which  was  very  near  the  mill- 
grounds,  and  accompanied  the  vistors  through  the 
factory. 

This  factory  was  begun  in  1840  by  Senor  Rubio,  the 


82  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

father  of  the  present  incumbent.  The  cost  of  building 
it,  together  with  the  grounds,  was  $4,000,000.  It  is 
a  sort  of  citadel.  Enclosed  by  a  high  wall  provided 
with  port-holes,  occupying  several  acres,  and  giving 
employment  to  1,400  operatives,  it  forms  a  manufac- 
turing town  of  itself.  The  Rubio  family  live  here,  and 
their  apartments  adjoin  a  beautiful  garden  laid  out 
with  artificial  ponds  and  ornamented  with  statues. 
The  buildings  are  of  stone,  and  the  machinery  has 
been  imported  principally  from  England.  Both  steam 
and  water  power  are  used,  and  it  has  one  of  the  larg- 
est overshot  wheels  in  the  world,  being  fifty  feet  in 
diameter.  They  keep  a  small  "army"  of  forty  sol- 
diers, who  are  provided  with  muskets  and  howitzers. 
Thus  far  the  owners  have  defended  their  property 
successfully  against  the  insurgents  during  several  rev- 
olutions. 

A  short  ride  in  the  street-cars  brought  us  to  the  city 
of  Queretaro,  about  two  miles  farther,  and  where  our 
train  had  gone  to  wait  for  us.  An  amusing  incident  is 
related  by  a  gentleman  who  recently  returned  from 
Queretaro.  Calling  upon  a  resident,  who  owned  a 
most  pronouncedly  Scotch  name,  he  addressed  him  in 
English.  The  reply  came  in  Spanish:  "For  three 
generations  my  ancestors  have  lived  here,  and  I 
cannot  speak  a  word  of  English.  I  will  call  my 
sons :  they  speak  English  well,  for  I  sent  them  to 
the  mother  country  to  learn  it." 

The  journey  home  from  this  point  was  made  as 
quickly  as  possible,  there  being  some  in  our  party  who 
were  a  little  indisposed,  and  therefore  were  anxious  to 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  83 

reach  their  homes.  The  places  we  stopped  at  were 
principally  the  same  that  were  visited  on  our  way  to 
Mexico  ;  so  there  is  little  if  anything  new  or  interest- 
ing to  relate  about  them.  General-Manager  Robinson 
did  his  best  to  get  the  party  off  the  Mexican  Central 
Road  as  quickly  as  possible,  making  the  last  720  miles 
in  twenty-four  hours.  We  reached  Paso  del  Norte  on 
the  morning  of  Saturday,  May  17th.  Four  gentlemen 
of  the  party,  Messrs.  Alden,  Pierce,  Jones,  and 
Sewall,  left  us  at  this  point,  and  went  to  California  for 
a  little  trip  before  returning  home. 

Now  bidding  farewell  to  General-Manager  Robinson, 
who  goes  back  to  Mexico,  we  cross  the  Rio  Grande  to 
El  Paso,  where  our  baggage  has  to  go  through  the 
usual  formalities  with  officials  of  "Uncle  Sam's" 
dominions  ;  and,  as  some  of  the  party  remarked  "  We 
are  once  more  in  God's  country."  Whether  this  be 
true  or  no,  there  is  one  thing  sure,  we  are  no  longer 
foreigners. 

A  few  remarks  in  relation  to  the  Mexican  Central 
Road  will  not  be  inappropriate  ere  we  close  this  jour- 
nal. The  survey  made  of  the  road  was  careful  and 
impartial.  A  number  of  the  party  were  capitalists, 
with  no  interest  in  the  securities  of  the  Company,  and 
they  all  concur  in  one  opinion  :  that  the  Central's  enor- 
mous length  of  road  is  destined  in  the  near  future  to 
be  a  first-class  piece  of  railway  property.  Every  one 
expressed  admiration  at  the  solidity  of  the  road's  con- 
struction, its  smoothness  and  skilful  engineering 
achievements,  whereby  many  great  difficulties  have 
been  overcome.     The  bridges,  which  are  of  u'on,  are 


84  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

of  the  latest  approved  pattern.  What  is  of  more  im- 
mediate interest  is,  that  the  natives  are  using  the  trains 
freely.  We  continually  noted  the  fulness  of  the  trains 
that  we  passed  along  the  entire  length  of  the  road. 
The  wealthy  Mexicans  are  taking  eagerly  to  the  luxu- 
rious Pullmans,  and  not  infrequently  hire  a  whole  car 
for  themselves  and  families.  The  railway  has  given  a 
powerful  impulse  to  visiting  between  cities  formerly 
many  days'  distance  from  one  another.  There  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  large  use  of  the  passenger  equip- 
ment of  the  Company. 

In  regard  to  derailments,  most  of  the  reports  tele- 
graphed to  the  United  States  in  relation  to  them  have 
been  wildly  sensational  and  exaggerated.  However, 
they  do  not  seem  to  interfere  with  the  increase  of 
tourists  from  the  United  States.  An  agent  of  the 
Rock  Island  Road  says  that  he  has  arranged  for  an 
excursion  party  of  one  hundred  rich  Mexicans  and 
their  families  to  come  to  this  country  over  the  Central. 
They  will  visit  Niagara  Falls,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  Washington,  returning  over  the  Central ;  and  sim- 
ilar excursions  will  undoubtedly  follow  thereafter. 

The  higher  class  of  the  Central's  officials  appear  to 
be  endeavoring  to  forward  the  Company's  interests. 
The  financial  crisis  in  Mexico  necessarily  interferes 
with  the  movement  of  business,  but  in  the  face  of  all 
this  the  freight  traffic  is  increasing.  The  road-carriers, 
who  used  to  do  the  work  of  transportation,  and  have 
been  displaced  by  the  railroad,  are  now  largely 
engaged  in  developing  the  freight  business  between  the 
railroad  and  points  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  miles 


EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO.  85 

on  either  side.  The  owners  of  estates  are  increasing 
their  acreage.  They  are  said  to  be  selling  off  their 
mules,  and  shipping  their  products  by  rail.  On  the 
expiration  of  existing  contracts  with  mule-freighters 
to  the  city  of  Mexico,  other  owners  of  large  estates 
will  transfer  their  freights  to  the  Central.  With  the 
completion  of  the  side  lines  to  Tampico  and  Guadala- 
jara, there  is  no  danger  in  hazarding  the  prediction 
that  the  Central's  business  will  be  largely  increased. 
Cattle  shipments  are  steadily  increasing  on  the  Central, 
it  being  found  that  cattle  lose  less  in  weight  when 
going  to  the  city  of  Mexico  by  rail.  There  is,  there- 
fore, no  doubt  of  the  steady  growth  of  the,  herding 
interests  in  the  Mexican  tablelands,  and  a  correspond- 
ing augmentation  of  freight  receipts  of  the  Central. 
The  leading  articles  of  freight  on  the  road,  at  present, 
are  cattle,  coal,  cotton,  tobacco,  dry  goods,  sugar, 
and  mining  supplies.  Arrangements  are  now  making 
for  the  bringing  of  coal  from  America  to  the  large 
interior  cities  of  Mexico,  which  are  beginning  to  real- 
ize the  advantages  of  using  coal  in  place  of  the  costly 
wood  or  charcoal  which  they  have  hitherto  used  as  a 
household  cooking-fuel. 

The  Mexican  Central  Railway  Company  has  a  road 
which  is  creditable  in  construction.  By  a  series  of 
remarkable  engineering  gymnastics  it  climbs  the  moun- 
tains of  Zacatecas,  and  the  notched  rim  of  the  Valley 
of  Mexico.  The  contortions  of  the  railway  line  in 
reaching  Zacatecas  add  very  much  to  the  interest  of 
the  tourist.  "  Horse-shoes,'^  as  bends  of  that  form  are 
usually  called,  are  not  only  common,  but  in  some  in- 


86  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO- 

stances  doubled ;  but  with  these  exceptions  the  Mex- 
ican Central  Road  seems,  strangely  enough  in  so  moun- 
tainous a  country,  to  traverse  a  vast  plateau.  The 
business  of  the  road  is  steadily  increasing,  and  the  rich 
land-owners  through  whose  extensive  estates  the  rail- 
road runs  are  among  the  staunchest  friends  of  the 
enterprise. 

There  is  now  but  little  more  to  add  to  this  already 
too  lengthy  diary.  Leaving  El  Paso  on  the  forenoon 
of  Saturday,  May  17th,  and  making  the  usual  stops, 
we  reached  Kansas  City,  the  terminus  of  the  Atchison 
Road,  on  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  the  19th.  The 
train  was  detained  only  a  little,  on  account  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  which  was  very  much  more  fierce  now  than  it 
was  when  we  went  over  it  before  ;  the  beds  of  water- 
courses, which  before  were  perfectly  dry,  were  now 
channels  of  furious  streams,  causing  some  wash-outs, 
and  it  required  a  careful  running  of  the  train.  The 
little  time  that  we  had  at  Kansas  City  was  improved 
by  nearly  every  one  of  the  party  in  riding  about  the 
various  places  of  interest  in  this  enterprising  city. 

Tuesday^  May  20th.  Those  who  were  fortunate 
enough  to  awake  early,  found  plenty  upon  which  to 
feast  their  eyes,  for  a  few  moments  at  least,  while 
crossing  the  Mississippi  River,  at  about  5.30  a.  m.  We 
arrived  at  Chicago  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  party 
were  given  an  opportunity  to  view  this  grand  city.  A 
large  number  of  the  tourists  went  to  visit  Pullman,  the 
unique  little  town  which  has  been  built  up  by  the  Pull- 
man Palace  Car  Company. 


EXCUBSION  TO  MEXICO.  87 

Several  of  the  party  left  us  at  Chicago,  and  the  re- 
mainder reached  their  homes  on  the  morning  of  Thurs- 
day, May  22d,  having  accomplished  the  journey  to  the 
city  of  Mexico  and  back  in  less  than  twenty-four 
days,  including  six  days  spent  in  the  old  historic  city 
of  Mexico,  the  mother  of  Western  civilization. 

In  conclusion  :    Mexico  is  now  accessible  as  she  has! 
never  been  before,  and  abandoning  all  ancient  antago- 1 
nisms  of  race  and  customs,  she  invites  every  comer  I 
from  the  United  States,  the  land  of  her  ideals,  askingl 
for  no  passports  and  making  no  inquiries.     The  coun- 
try has  heretofore  presented  many  obstacles  to  even 
the  adventurous  American  traveller  ;  it  has  been  fenced 
in  by  rocky  barriers,  mountain  chains,  and  immense 
distances  more  impassable  than  any  sea,  by  lack  of 
information  concerning  it,   and  by  all  differences  of 
race,  language,  and  custom.     It  was,  moreover,  the^^ 
land  of  countless  revolutions  and  political  uncertainties.  *V 
wliPVP  thP  hnnrlit  or  highway  robber  held  triumphant  f 
sway.      This    has   all  been   so   far  changed   sinop    thp  o 

completion    of   the  >rpvipn.n  Cpntml    Rnilrnflflj  that    fhp   /M 

requisites  now  of  a  most  delightful  journey  are  merely  ^ 
a  through  ticket  and  return,  and  a  berth  in  a  Buffet  -- 
car. 

The  country  is  delightful,  and  undoubtedly  repays 
a  visit.  Of  tropical  latitude,  but  of  immense  eleva- 
tion, the  climate  remains  the  same  through  winter  and 
summer.  Tropical  fruits  are  the  usual  products  of 
every  month  in  the  year.  The  inner  man  may  be  sur- 
prised here  with  strange  beverages,  and  the  palate  be 
accustomed  to  dishes  hitherto  unknown. 


88  EXCURSION  TO  MEXICO. 

Every  Mexican,  of  every  grade  and  class,  will  be 
found  to  be  a  courteous  man.  Ask  a  Mexican  gentle- 
man a  question  on  the  street,  and  he  will  shake  hands 
with  you  on  parting.  People  whom  you  never  saw 
before,  and  will  in  all  probability  never  see  again,  will 
willingly  show  you  every  attention,  simply  because  you 
are  a  stranger.  There  are  thifeves,  and  some  very 
ingenious  and  inveterate  ones ;  but,  is  there  a  country 
on  the  globe  that  is  free  from  them  ? 

Americans  are,  in  certain  things,  the  most  inconsid- 
erately impatient  of  all  people.  When  we  go  to  Mex- 
ico, which  is  one  of  the) slowest  countries  on  earth j^ we 
shall  have  a  much  better  time  if  we  do  not  try  to  reform 
the  country.  We  should  avoid  the  impatient  "gesture, 
the  disgusted  look,  and  the  pushing  demeanor  which 
accomplishes  nothing,  and  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  in 
the  land  of  manana  and  liiego.  Since  we  must  wait, 
more  or  less,  we  may  as  well  be  patient  and  philosoph- 
ical about  it. 


t 


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